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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 







CCLONEL RICHARD VOSE. 



A NEW INVASION 



OF THE SOUTH. 

BEING A NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION OF THE 

SEVENTY-FIRST INFANTR V, 

NA 7 lONA L G UA RD. 



THROUGH THE 



SOUTHERN STATES, 

TO 

New Orleans. 



^e'br-a.a.r3r 2^— Ivlarcli 7, ISSl. 



J 

By JOHN F . CO WA N 



NEW YORK 
Wo I) OF Officers Sevent 
Publishers 



i88i 







Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year i8Si. by 

JOHN F. COWAN, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C. 



Dedicatory Note, 



The expedition of the Seventy-firsL U) the far South is 
an accomplished fact. It was thought that its significance 
was more than might appear at first sight ; that there was 
an underlying principle of greater import than the mere 
interchange of courtesies. This little book is published 
that the generous treatment of Northern men by Southern 
men may be known, and to commemorate an event, tliat 
it is hoped, by all who participated, will be but the fore- 
runner of that era of national fraternity on which so much 
of the future of our great country depends. 

To 

ALBERT BALDWIN, Esq., 

President of the Royal Host, the narrative is dedicated 
with sincere esteem for him as a man and a citizen, by 

THE AUTHOR. 



Table of contents. 



CHAPTER I. 
A NEW INVASION. 

CHAPTER n. 

THE FIRSr NIGH r QUI 



CHAPTER III. 
A CINCINNATI WELCOME. 

CHAPTER IV. 

EGYPTIAN HOSPirALirV. 

CHAPTER V. 

MISSISSIPPI AND LOUISIANA. 



CHAPTER VI. 
IN THE CRESCENT CITY. 



CHAPTER VII. 

SUNDAY NIGH r. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
ARRIVAL OF THE KING. 



CHAPTER IX. 
DINING WITH THE GOVERNOR. 

CHAPTER X. 

ACROSS THE CHASM. 



CHAPTER XI. 
NEW ORLEANS PLEASURES, 

CHAPTER XII. 
A TRIUMPHANT RETURN. 



TA.BI.E OF CONTENTS.— Continued. 

APl'ENDIX A.— 

Official permission to cross the states between New York and 
Louisiana. 

APPENDIX P.— 

A few invitations : Major General W. J. Behan, ist division, L. N. G. 
to Seventy-first; Invitation to the Jetties; Invitation of N. O. City 
Railroad; of Company A, Continental Guards; of the "Funny 
Phorty Phellows;" of Citizens Committe, Grenada, Mississippi; of 
Deputy Quartermaster General James A. Ekin, U. S. Army; of 
Colonel Charles S. Spencer, 5th Infantry; of Vice President Gar- 
rett and Mr. C. K. Lord, B. & O. Road, to his Majesty's dinner at 
the Palace San Carlos; to reception tendered by Officers of Louisiana 
National Guard, of the City of New Orleans; to excursion of H. C. 
Corbin, Acting Adjutant General, U. S. Army. 

APPENDIX C — 

The Schedule of railroad time between New York and New Orleans. 
Rostor of Officers of New Orleans Battalion; Description of the Ban- 
ner presented to the Regiment by the Royal Host of New Orleans. 
APPENDIX D.— 

Odds and Ends : A Relec of the War; the Lone Star Flag; 
Kindly Warning; General Beauregards' Signature; A Poetic Vetc- 
eran; At Bull Run; A Contrast; "New York's Favorite;" A 
Southern Welcome; The band Concert ;"W^elcome Horn?;" "Welcome 
Guests;" What Cincinnati thought of the Marching; Early History; 
The Promenade Concert on board the R. E. Lee; A dinner they 
didn't get; Accepting the Olive Branch; A Dress Parade; A Severe 
Criticism; "A pleasant representive," "A sympathetic member;" 
The Battalion's Pride; A gratuitous advertisment; "The handsome 
correspondent;" the "Commissioner of Charities;" A level-headed 
Lieutenant Governor; A dandy Drum Major. 

APPENDIX E.— 

The Association of the Army of Tennessee, Louisiana Division, to 
the Seventy- First; The Washington Artillery to the Seventy-first. 

APPENDIX F.— 

History of the Carnival in New Orleans, with reference to the Societies 
whicli foster and support it. 



CHAPTER I 



A NEW INVASION. 

"O Peace! thou source and soul of social life; 
Beneath whose calm, inspiring influence 
Science his views enlarges, Art refines, 
And swelling commerce opens all her ports." 

— Thompson. 

Twenty ye?rs ago the roar of a cannon on the shore 
of South Carolina proclaimed a fratricidal strife in America. 
The chain of brotherly love was broken. From Northern 
w^orkshops and Southern fields went a milHon of men to 
end by force of arms what force of ai-gument had failed 
to accomplish. The line of battle was drawn, and face 
to face stood brother and brother. 

Twenty years ago the Seventy-first was one of the first 
organized regiments to oifer its services to the National 
Government. For years the regiment had been dis- 
tinctively called the American Guard, and its reputation 
was not unknown to the autliorities at VVashiny-ton. Its 



services were accepted. It is no part of tlie duty of the 
writer to tell the stor}^ of that conflict. It is written deep- 
ly enough in American soil. With that history the Sev- 
enty-first has indissolubly and most honorably interwoven 
its name and fame. 

In 1861 it left its armory for the South. Strong men 
were moved and women wept as with steady ranks and 
grave faces the men marched down Broadway. The 
drums seemed to roll a funeral march. Many never came 
back — side by side with those who wore the gray-- they 
lie in the sunny fields of the South. The flae was their 
shroud, the battle field their sepulchre. 

In 1 88 1 again the order came to march ; again there 
were the busy scenes at the armory; again the drums 
rolled out along Broadway. But it was no funeral roll 
tliis time, faces were smiling now, cheers and "God bless 
you's " took the place of tears and lamentati(jns. The 
Louisiana regiments which had plunged into the fire and 
smoke of Bullrun to find the American Guard firm and 
steady amid the carnage, now waited with outstretched 
arms on the banks of the Mississippi, to welcome as bro- 
thers, those whom they had before met. as foes. 

In 1 86 1 they met with crossed bayonets. In 1881 they 
met with clasped hands. 

It was a new invasion of the South, but the olive and 
the magnolia twined about the rifles and the old flag rose 
and fell over all. 

It was no mere frolic that took the Battalion of the 



7 

Seventy-first to the South. The men who formed the ex- 
pedition were not idlers ;' they did not enter into the ex- 
pedition with idle motives. From the highest in rank to 
the drummer, they had occupation at home. They were 
in fact the peers of their fellow citizens who remained be- 
hind. 

"With malice toward none," the Pelican had bowed its 
stately head to the Empire State and said : 

"We of the South are anxious to show to you of the 
North that the war is over. The throbbing- of the war 
drums is hushed, the rancor of the past is gone forever. 
The soldiers of the South are Americans like yourselves, 
they have been and are misrepresented by designing men, 
and they are tired of misrepresentation. The old sec- 
tional bitterness is swallowed up in the desire for a new 
era of peace and brotherly love. Come and visit us that 
we may show you how sincere we are." 

And it was a mission of no slight import. Representa- 
tive Southern men had issued the invitation. The Roval 
Host of New Orleans, probably the most powerful socie- 
ty in the Southern States, having for its object the devel- 
opement of the financial and commercial interests of the 
South, and knowing no politics, no creed, headed the in- 
vitations with the offer of generous hospitality. The City 
of New Orleans, the State Government of Louisiana, the 
active National Guard and the veterans of the war joined 
in the tender of warm friendship. These offers of good 
will made the expedition a necessity. Its wisdom cannot 



be doubted, since the result is known. Hardly was the 
announcement made, when other States, Cities and 
towns w^lieeled into line and showered on the Battalion 
of the Seventy-first such an accumulation of honors as to 
raise the expedition to the dignity of National interest. 
Those who accompanied the expedition believed that tlie 
extra(M-dinary reception accorded it on all sides and at 
every little hamlet eii route, was a display of genuine feel- 
ing. The train bearuig the blue coated soldiers of the 
North passed through many States, and it was nearest 
the heart of the old confederacy that the reception was 
warmest. No amount of dragooning for the sake of pol- 
icy could have controlled the country sections of Kentuc- 
ky and Mississippi. Yet there were hundreds of people 
who flocked about the stations and extended the right 
hand of fellowship, while there was not a single instance 
of unfriendliness. Thus it was that the men of the 
Seventy-first knowing that the eyes of the South at least 
were on them and with a heart-felt desire to meet the 
proffered friendship more than half-way, left New York, 
to return overwhelmed with kindness and hopelessly in- 
debted to their hosts. 

The 24th of February was a cold blustering day. The 
sun came out brilliantly enough in the morning but its 
ra3^s were tempered with keen winds that searched every 
nook and corner for victims. The old armory was chilly 
notwithstanding the roaring fires that armorer Kennedy 
kept bright. Hundreds of men rushed about here and 



there preparing for a march that was to be memorable in 
the history of the regiment. Such an accumulation of 
blue noses and frosted ears it is probable, was never seen 
in the armory before. Young recruits listened to grey 
headed veterans as they told the story of the march of 20 
years ago. The large garrison flag was flying from the 
roof and attracted attention from passers by. The wagons 
of the quartermaster gathered about the doors were being 
rapidly filled and there was altogether a scene of unusu- 
al bustle and activity. The order came to march, and the 
regiment filed out into the street and presented arms as 
the New Orleans Battalion marched past. There was a 
biu'st of melody from the band, and they were oif down 
Broadway. The winds swept up from the lower bay with 
fierceness, and the themometer kept sinking until every- 
thing cracked. The sidewalks were crowded, nevertheless, 
and the regiment greeted with enthusiastic cheers. The 
music of the band died out by degrees, the musicians 
puffed and blew until their faces already red with the 
cold, became purple. Drum Major Jenks twirled his staff 
and fiercely pulled his mustache, and Bandmaster Joyce 
shook his cornet and swore till everything was blue. But 
it was of no use. The music was frozen I 

The special train waited at the foot of Liberty Street. 
The engine was gay with flags and streamers, and the rail- 
road officials were smiling. The last wordi^ were said, 
good-bys spoken, and the train was off. There was a 
erand series of salutes from two or three hundred torpedoes 



that the railroad officials had taken care to place on the 
tracks. The train moved away smoothly and swiftly, and 
was soon far out of the sound of tlie enthusiastic cheers of 
those of the Seventy-first who remained at liome. Imme- 
diately behind the engine came the commissary and quar- 
termaster's cars. Over the former commissary Jacob Hess 
presided, and ihe myrmidons of Ac ting Quartermaster 
O. C. Hoffman smashed the baggage in the latter. Fol- 
lowing these,came three elegant passenger coaches, and 
they were followed in turn by four palace cars. The lead- 
ing- car bore banners on either side. On one was incribed 
"Seventy-first Regiment, en route New York and New Or- 
leans." The other bore the legend :— Seventy-first New 
York, Louisiana Tigers — 1861-1881." 

These banners proved a constant source of amusement 
to the people along the route, and at every stopping place 
were surrounded by a throng of gaping rustics. It took 
about two hours for the boys to settle down. Each com- 
pany was assigned a car, the officers and guests occupying 
the others. Bandmaster Joyce, wli<3 was almost heart- 
broken at his inability to get any music out of ills band in 
the march down Broadway, explained the matter bv show- 
ing how the instruments were frozen. Drum Major Jenks 
on the contrary was in ? high state of glee over tlie ef- 
ficiency of the drum corps and tlie fact that tlie drums 
could not freeze up. The Drum Major's elation, however, 
was destined to be of short duration, for just before the 
train reached Philadelphia he was seized with sudden and 



mysterious cramps. Major Bryant and Hospital Steward 
Ingard took him in liand, and by the time Wilmington 
was reached, Jenks was himself again, and smiled cheer- 
fully at the Wilmington girls, who gathered around to ad- 
mire his gorgeous uniform. 

There w^as no delay of importance and the train in due 
time reached Baltimore, but in the mean time the party 
had been entertained by the Commissary. When the 
train was "about two hours out from New York, the com- 
panies were marched into one of the forward cars where 
a table had been arranged and a seat provided for each 
man. The inenu comprised, besides coffee, excellent bread 
and butter, all sorts of pickles, cold turkey, chicken, ham, 
tongue, roast and corned beef, and it is needless to say 
that the boys did all they could in that direction, their 
good intentions being fortified by the long and cold march 
before embarking. 

This programme was varied very slightly during the en- 
tire trip. Three meals a day were served on board the 
cars and coffee was picked up at certain stations. This 
was thought to be a better plan than depending on way 
stations. The stations how^ever, w^ere not entirely neglect- 
ed, for many of the party were glad to snatch a warm meal 
now and again. 

Baltimore was reached just as the shadows of evening 
were deepening. The train was boarded by a large del- 
egation of gentlemen, who, making their way to the head- 
quarter car, announced themselves as officers of the Fifth 



12 

Maryland. Tliey were warmly received and while the 
train was being ferried across the river, pleasant little 
speeches were made, the first of the trip, by the visiting 
officers and several of Ours. The Marylanders brought 
with them a peculiar shaped box, which the Chaplain 
persists to this day in calling a "grain elevator." It cer- 
tainly did look like one, the outside at any rate. It was 
said to be good grain too and to show^ a very high state of 
cultivation. As we crossed the river, the heavy booming 
of distant cannon was heard. "What is that ?" everyone 
asked his neighbor. " It is the salute from Fort McHenry" 
we were informed. The booming grew more distinct as 
w^e neared the bank. It w^as almost quite dark and yet 
the' outlines of the old fort were dimly seen, w^iile from 
the ramparts there blazed the "loud mouthed advocates 
of war. " Quickly it passed from car to car that the famous 
old fort was saluting us, w^here years ago it w^as asked : 
"On that shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep, 

Wliere the foes haughty liost in dread silence reposes 

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep. 

As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses? 

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam 

In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream ; 

'Tis the star-spangled banner ! Oh, long may it wave 

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ! " 
The train halted and the band played the music of the 
grand old song, while the men cheered themselves hoarse 
in response to Captain J. G. Ramsay's and the Second 
U. S. Artillery's loud spoken compliments. The entire 
detachment regretted sincerely that night had fallen as a 
screen between it and the gallant battery. 



CHAPTER II 



THE FIRST NIGHT OUT. 



" Most glorious night 
Thou wert not sent for slumber ! let me be 
A sharer in thy fierce and far delight, — - 
A portion of the tempest and of thee !" 

—Byroih 
"Good Michael, look you to the guard to-night, 
Let's teach ourselves that honorable stop 
Not to outsport discretion." 

—S/ia/cs. 

The first night out ! How its memories will imperisli- 
ably cling to those who were on the train ! Baltimore 
was a thing of the past and even Bandmaster Joyce who 
had been waiting up to catch a view of Washington, con- 
sented to retire when the Capital City was forty miles in 



14 

tlie rejir. The train went through the city so quietly that 
only a favored few were permitted a sight of Pennsylvania 
Avenue, with its long vista of lights stretching far away 
into the gloom and the magnificent dome of the Capitol 
brilliantly shining with its myriad fires. One by one the 
wearv soldiers sought their bunks — they thought — to sleep 
perchance to dream of future peaceful conquests. But 
alas I it was not to be. The combination of events on that 
night were too powerful to be resisted. Sleep was out of 
the question. To the wild spirits on board, nature lent 
aid and hardly were the sports of man completed ere the 
elements played havoc with the hours of darkness that re- 
mained. When the train left Jersey City, guards v.^ere 
regularly mounted, and the usual officers of the day and 
guard assumed charge of the welfare of the party. In the 
officers' car there was a choice quartette. Mr. C. K. Lord, 
General Passenger Agent of the Baltimore and Ohio 
Railroad, is a gentlemen whose face and physique denotes 
the happy traits of character he possesses in an eminent 
degree. Full of fun and good humor and withal a rail- 
road official of ability, he made friends of all whom he met 
during his short stay with the train. Mr. Charles P. 
Craig, General Eastern Passenger Agent of the same line 
was almost a counterpart of Mr. Lord save as to physique. 
Mr. Frank Marsh, General Eastern Passenger Agent of the 
Jackson route, was as genial and attentive as a man could 
well be, and he and Mr. Craig, both of whom accompanied 
the party on the entire trip, became exceedingly popular 




SHOW VOUR TICKET.' 



with both officers and men. The fourth spirit of this 
quartette, was Mr. Theodore Lee, manager of the Amer- 
ican Bank Note Company. He was as natty and bright 
as one of his own bank notes, and his wit and good fel- 
lowship were as clean cut as are the steel engravings of the 
institution with which he is connected. These gentlemen, 
not without help however — contrived to set the ball roll- 
ing. Everyone on the train was trying his be^t to sleep, 
when Lord and Lee got thirsty. The ''Spirit of the 5th 
Maryland" was safely tucked away in the Surgeon's de- 
partment, and as it had been announced that Dr. Bryant 
slept with a lancet in each hand, they did not think it al- 
together advisable to awaken him. After a solemn con- 
sultation in the end of the parlor car, they determined to 
consult Craig. He grumbled a little, but got up and 
joined the plotters. They looked about for a victim. A 
sonorous snore came from Marsh's bunk. It was startling 
in its distinctness, and seemed to suggest something to 
Craig. The conspirators adjourned tu the platform, and 
Craig unfolded his plan. Then Lee and Lord went into 
a corner, lighted cigars and awaited developments, while 
Craig went to look for the officer of the day. That offi- 
cial was dozing in a forward car. 

"Captain" said Craig solemnly, "there is a man in the 
officers' car, who has no ticket and does not belong to the 
regiment." 

"Better wake up quarter-master Hoffman." 
"He looks like a very decent man ! " 



i6 

"F'erhaps there is some mistake. Better call up Col- 
onel Vose and consult him. I do not want to put a man 
off at this time of night and such a night" continued the 
officer of the day drawing his cloak around him with a 
shiver as the snow flakes flew past the window. 

"Well, I think he ought to be seen to" insisted Craig. 

''Come along then" said the officer, and the two men 
went into the carw^here the other conspirators had turned 
down the lights, and stood awaiting the denouement. 
Marsh w^as sleeping the sleep of the just railroad man. 
His face was wreathed in peaceful smiles — at least it was 
so thought, it being too dark to ascertain such facts abso- 
lutely--nothing but an occasional gentle sigh was heard 
from the location where his form, dimly outlined in a 
blanket, was seen. In a moment his rest was over, for 
the hand of the officer fell heavily on his shoulder, and a 
hoarse voice sounded in his ear ! 

"Where is your ticket, and how did you get on this 
train." 

"Go away and let me sleep" he mumbled, turning over 
and taking a new grip on the side of the bunk. 

"You must w^ake up and show^ me your ticket." 

"Oh go to the deuce, and let me be," said the unfor- 
tunate man. 

"Sergeant, bring a file of men here," was the next thing. 
Craig almost betrayed himself at this point by choking 
violently, and Lee and Lord had to go out on the platform 
notwithstanding the storm, in order that r.heir screams 



might be lost amid the howling of the winds. The men 
came — Marsh was hauled out and his identity discovered 
to the astonishment of the men when a lantern was held 
to his face. The officer of the day arrested the- entire par- 
ty, and took them into the Commissary's car where nimier- 
ous baskets of wine were stored. It was their opportunity 
and Marsh opened a number of bottles. Then Craig went 
to bed and fell asleep, and the arch conspirators, Lee and 
Lord went into executive session again. After matters 
had quieted down. Marsh went to the Quartermaster and 
gravely informed him that there was a disreputable man 
on board who had no ticket ! The Quartermaster was of 
course highlv indignant and went to the officer of the 
guard, as the officer of the day had gone to sleep. That 
official went in and performed the same ceremonies with 
Craig, that his superior had with Marsh, and the latter 
was by no means an uninterested spectator. Craig had rxj 
get up and on the usual adjournment to the Commissary's 
car, opened what was left of a case of Jules Mumm. In 
tlie morning the storv was told to the few that did not 
know it, and was considered an excellent joke. It was 
not fully appreciated however, until the announcement 
was made that it had been a basket of Colonel Vose's pri- 
vate stock that had gone down the throats of the conspi- 
rators and the guards. It cost the railroad men more than 
a basket, to set matters right. It was long after midnight 
when the revels thus began, ended. 

Leaving Baltimore, the train was nearly three hours be- 



i8 

hind time owing in part to delay in starting, and partly to 
a detention at Philadelphia, where the tracks of the Bal- 
timore and Ohio crossed those of the Pennsylvania road. 
It was decided to make up this time before reaching Cin- 
cinnati. On this side of the AUeghanies, the train was 
met by a heavy snow storm which more or less delayed 
the ascent. The best engine on the road was put on the 
train at the summit, and " Chickahominy " was given 
charge of her. The engineer was given the name because 
of some daring experience he had had at that battle, and 
whatever that experience may have been " Chickahom- 
iny " will linger with us forever as the synonym for bold- 
ness in locomotive driving. 

When everything was ready for the downw^ard trip, Mr. 
Lord went forward and said a few words to the engineer. 
There was a hurried consultation of railroad officials and 
the signal to start was given. '' Chickahominy " tried his 
valves, looked forward into the driving snow ; blew an un- 
earthly whistle and opened the throttle. We w^ere off ! 
The whistle was like the wail of some monster, plunging in- 
to a bottomless abyss. Faster fell the snow and faster flew 
the heavy train. It was well that few of the party really 
knew the horrors that encompassed them. On either side 
were mountainous caverns, in the far depths of which 
could they have seen the giant trees were dwarfed to in- 
significence. Through tunnels, over bridges, around 
curves, we plunge with frightful speed and — 

" Mountain on mountain exultingly throws 
Through storm, mist and snow its bleak crags to the sky." 



19 

It was an awful ride, down those mountains. The pace 
grew faster as the moments passed, until no one could 
sleep. 

" Fifty miles an hour" whispered one railroad man to 
another. 

" Yes and getting faster," was the response. 

"Its sixty now" was said in less than five minutes, and 
the men closed their watches, and with close knit brows, 
held firmly to the nearest support. The great sleeping 
coaches made lurches now and again that prevented any- 
one from staying in bed. Everything movable was thrown 
about, and the pitching was like a ship in a heavy sea. 
Very many of the party were sea-sick, and all were ready 
for the final lurch wiiich seemed to approach with every 
curve. Swaying from side to side, flying through space, 
the train sped on. There was no slaking, no uncertainty 
about it. Every man realized that when " Chickahom- 
ny" had opened the throttle valve, he intended to make 
the fastest run on record. He was the man to do it, and he 
did it. He knew that every approaching curve miglit be 
his last, but he also knew that the track had been cleared 
ahead, and that he was responsible for nothing but the 
speed of his train. Down and further down the moun- 
tains we plunged, over a grade of 125 feet to the mile, and 
nothing could be heard but the howling of the wind and 
intermingling with it, an occasional exulting shriek from 
the engine as some mountain station whisked l)y. As the 
first break of day chased the gloornv shadows and showed 



the rocky passes through which we whirled, all covered 
with a snowy fleece, the final lurch came. With tlie roar 
of a wounded lion, the engine slakened and stopped, all 
smoking and panting like some high bred steed, that had 
done its best devoir, and awaited the plaudits of the 
crowd. " Chickahominy " wiped his brow, lighted his 
pipe and got down from the foot board all white and ner- 
vous, like a man who had passed through the ordeal of a 
lifetime. The boys of Ours flocked about the iron monster, 
and with a soldiers disregard of dangers passed, laughed 
and joked-with each rjther. The snow ceased falling, and 
the sun came out. " Chickahominy" had done his duty. 
We were on time to the minute ! 



Cfl AFTER III 



A CINXINNATI WELCOME. 

Whoe'er has travelled life's dull round, 
Where'er his stages nay have been, 
May sigh to think he still has found 
The warmest welcome at an inn. 

— Shciisto)ic. 

They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet 
Quaff immortality and joy. 

—Milton. 

When the Delaware river was crossed, the men thronged 
the windows and platforms of- the cars, and shouted 
'' where is George, oh where is George ! " Several natives 
who stood about the train, and \\\\o evidently bore the 
first name of the father of his country, blushed with con- 
scious pride, and stood out in bold relief, as if to say " there 



22 

may be a number of George's about here, but if you refer 
t(j the George, why here I am ". The boys continued to 
shout however for " George " with an occasional addenda 
of *'Wash," until the river was far in the stern. The ice 
was there, the flat boat w^as there, but the figure of the 
General was wanting. The remembrances of the crossing 
of the Delaw^are seemed to linger with the party, and so 
w^ien the whistle blew for Cincinnati, the platforms were 
filled again, and the boys began to ask for the pigs, 

*' Where are the pigs ? " asked one, of a laborer who was 
standing near the track, as the train drew up at the station. 

'' In the cars bedad ! " was the ready response. 

If the pigs of Cincinnati were not seen in great num- 
bers in the streets, the mud upon which their fellow crea- 
tures thrive in the North certainly was. There was mud 
everywhere. The First Regiment of Infantry, Ohio Na- 
tional Guard, was found waiting at the depot. They 
were uniformed in the old United States fatigue, and one 
effect of our visit, was a movement on the part of the city 
to properly uniform this command. They deserve recog- 
nition, for they marched w^ell and were a steady and 
soldierly body of men. They were, of course, muddy and 
so were we after marching 15 minutes. At Cincinnati, we 
were to leave the Baltimore and Ohio, and take the Oliio 
and Mississippi and Jackson routes for the far South. A 
perfect swarm of railroad men came down on us at Cin- 
cinnati. With the combination of talent that interested 
itself in our behalf, it w^as really a remarkable thing that 



23 

the train escaped entire destruction. A list of a few of 
them may not prove uninteresting at this point, for it was 
at this point that we began to reahze that we were utterly 
helpless in the hands of these men, Frank Marsh had 
recovered his usual good spirits, notwithstanding the se- 
vere dressing down that he, Craig and Lee had received 
from the Colonel for their escapade of the last chapter, 
and Marsh had some reason to be in good spirits. Were 
we not to be on the great Jackson route in a few short 
hours, and consequently at his mercy ? But to return to 
the other railroad men who were flying about, giving or- 
ders, and consulting as to the probability of our colliding 
with the Swamptown express at Pohasket, or some other 
train somewhere else. There w^ere of course C. K. Lord 
and Charles P. Craig who were almost in tears, because 
we were obliged to change from the '' B and O Sleepers " 
to the comparatively crude and' uncomfortable ''Pull- 
man's ;" there was Marsh, happy as a Mississippi pilot, 
astride of a snag, running around w4th his hands full of 
telegrams ; there w^as Thomas P. Barry of the Marietta 
and Cincinnati railroad, otherwise known as the " Par- 
kersburg route," who was urging on some of the officers 
the superiority of Cincinnati whiskey to that of Baltimore; 
there was Mr. C. S. Cone, Jr., General Passenger Agent 
of the Ohio and Mississippi road, and his friend Mr. S. 
Horace Goodin, both of whom accompanied us further 
South, and made many friends among our party; there was 
William Murray, who in his august person, represented 



24 

three railroads at New Orleans; J. E. Rose, Master of 
Transportation, Marietta and Cincinnati route ; William 
Clements, Master of Transportation, of the Baltimore and 
Ohio road, who was regarded with reverence as the man 
under whose direction we had been almost sacrified to 
" time " in coming over the AUeghanies ; William West of 
the Marietta and Cincinnati road, wdiose courtly demeanor 
when counting the detachment, was the admiration of all 
observers, and three or four others whose names are not 
at hand. 

All this time the First Ohio, was standing patiently in 
the mud, and the boys of Ours in their dress uniforms, 
were forming the battalion, while everybody stood in the 
way. The police arrangements of the city were about as 
bad as the mud, but the policemen were anxious enough 
to do something for us. . It was probably in the strength 
of that desire, that they would occasionally whack some 
inoffensive looking specimen of humanity that viewed the 
procession open mouthed. The First Ohio was still in 
the mud as we passed out of the depot and waded towards 
it. Colonel Hunt presented arms, and Ours went by at 
three-quarters speed. Then we made fast to the bank, 
and the First paddled by us in column of fours, in single 
rank. They seem to take most kindly to the column of 
fours in single rank all through the vSouth. The sidewalks 
were literally packed with men, women and children, who 
were not particularly enthusiastic, but treated the men 
with great kindness nevertheless. After the usual formal- 



25 

ities, the line of parade was taken up. The two regiments 
marched through Elm to Fourth Street, eastward to Vine, 
northw^ard to Seventh, westward to Central avenue, north- 
ward again to Fifteenth, eastward to Elm, southward to 
Court, through Race to Eighth, and Walnut to Fifth. 
The line of march was crowded with ladies and gentlemen. 
At almost every corner the houses were decorated, and on 
a prominent point at Fourth Street, an arch was erected, 
bearing the words, " Welcome to the Seventy-first." After 
the parade, arms were staked on the Esplanade, and the 
battalion was entertained at dinner at the Gibson House. 

This dinner at the Gibson House was rather a pleasant 
affair, though somewhat hurried. There were no speeches. 
There was no time for that sort of thing. The dining- 
room in the Gibson House is a spacious one, and in many 
w^ays, well fitted for a public dinner. Tables were laid in 
long rows, with some at right angles in one end of the 
room. At one of these sat Colonels Hunt and Vose in 
stately grandeur, neither of them daring to eat much, and 
both more or less famished. The men occupied the other 
tables and rattled the china in feeble imitation of Jenks 
and his motley " Krewe. " There was very little time 
after dinner, and a portion of that was to be devoted to a 
parade. So everyone hurried away in quest of barbershops, 
cigar stores and similar institutions. A small but exceed- 
ingly select company hunted up an accident insurance 
office, and exclaimed in a body : 

'' We want to get insured ! " 



26 

The clerk looked in a bewildered way at the uniforms, 
and sliook his head sadly. 

"Wha — what do you mean ? " was the next shout. 

" When does the light come off ?" 

''Oh 'come oft" yourself" said an irreverent private in 
the rear, whereupon the clerk retired and his place was 
taken by a higher official, who smiled blandly at the tableau 
of gold lace before him. 

"You want accident insurance tickets gentlemen ? Cer- 
tainly. I shall be obliged to charge a small increase on 
our regular rates, because of the circumstances you know 
— fast special train and all that sort of thing you know — " 

The tickets were procured, and the party departed very 
much pleased. " My wife told me the very last thing" 
said one of the party, to get an insurance ticket for $i,ooo. 
' Because ' said she, ' you know dear, that no one ever gets 
killed who is insured, and if an accident should occur, 
how much more pleasant it would be to think that you 
would be cared for ! ' " 

The parade to the depot of Ohio and Mississippi road 
was almost a repetition of the march to the hotel, except 
that the throng of sight-seers liad increased and it was 
almost impossible to press through. The police had evi- 
dently never seen such a thing as a military parade, and 
it never occured to them that the First Ohio and the Sev- 
enty-first were anything but a sort of second class circus 
show. We marched in colimin of companies and only 
about ten files front at that, but could not preserve the 




CINCINNATI MUD. 



27 

formation for lialf a block because of the wagons, cars 

and people that crowded the street and blocked the way. 

After ever3'thing was ready and the procession was under 

way, it appeared something like this : 

Mud. 

Eigliteen Small Boys. 

Six Policemen, 

(Out of Step with the Music.) 

Colonel Hunt and Staff, 

Baker's Wagon and Two Little Girls. 

Mud. 

Band of the First Ohio. 

One Street Car drawn by a Mule. 

(Jne Man distributing Circulars of a Pain Eradicator. 

First Company, 1st Ohio. 

Second Company, ist Ohio. 

One Policeman, evidently lost. 

Third Company, ist Ohio. 

Delegations of Citizens on foot. 

Two clean Street Cars and 

One Dirty Butcher's Cart. 

Drum Major Jenks. 

Mud. 

Band of the 71st. 

Colonel Vose and Staff. 

First Company, 71st. 

Mud. 

Second Company, 71st. 

Three Brewer's Wagons. 

Third Company, 71st. 

Delegation of Citizens in Carriages — more or less full. 

Fourth Company, 71st. 

More Mud. 
Promiscuous Citizens. 

The parade was continued to the depot, and the cars 
boarded amid cheers. The courtesies shown the party by 



28 

the First Ohio were thoiouglily appreciated, and a feeling 
of great friendliness sprang np between the men. The 
Cincinnatians left nothing undone to make our stay a 
pleasant one, and notwithstanding some little drawbacks, 
already referred to, the men retain very pleasant mem(;- 
ries of the citv. 



CHAPTER IV 



tGYt'TLVN HOSPnAl.IlV. 

'•Away down South in Dixie, 

Look away ! look away ! 

Away down South in the land of cotton, 

Cinnamon seed and sandy bottom, 

Look away ! h:)ok away ! 

Away down South in Dixie I '" 

Cincinnati was far awa}- before morning. The second 
night was a quieter one than the first, and most of the men 
slept well In that connection, it is not more than fair to 
say that the sleeping arrangements were excellent during 
the entire 'trip. The cars were commodious, and the men 
who did not take sleeping berths, could make themselves 
very comfortable. Those who did prefer to go to bed 



30 



were fiirnislied by the quartermaster with a ticket like 
tliis : 



Sleeping Car, No 

LOWER BERTH. 

Section No 

Mr 



71ST Rkgimi^nt Special Train. 



Just what those tickets were for, was something " no 
feller could find out" although it was surmised that they 
meant sometiiing, because thequartermastercamethrougli 
the train just before it reached New Orleans, and asked 
to see the ''sleeping checks. " He only saw about half 
of them, because the other half had been torn iuto little 
square checks for some mysterious purpose, but he seemed 
just as well pleased as if he had got them all. The even- 
ing was a most pleasing one to those of the party who 
gathered in one of the cars, for there a sextette of the 
band played a varied selection of popular and operatic 
music, while a number of singers and speakers filled in 
the time allowed the musicians to fill up with wind and 
spirits — "of the Fifth Maryland." The train rolled stead- 
ily during the night, and in the early morning Cairo was 
announced to be in siglit. It is a forlorn place in every 
sense of the word. Lying on a tongue of land protruded 
between th.e Oliio and the Mississippi rivers which unite 



3^ 

just below it, it should be a garden of flowers. It is almost 
a barren waste of mud, but it is a pictiu"esque place never- 
theless, dirty and scrawny as it is. Straggling lines of 
unkempt houses in the background, a fringe of naked 
trees along the river front, and a few flat bottomed steam- 
boats puffing here and there — such is this once famous 
military depot. The c;ars had to be taken from the tracks 
here, and put on others of a wider guage. This was 
rather a tedious business, although the master of the 
workmen swore and raved at them until the very jack- 
screws looked askance. When the cars were ready, they 
were rolled on an enormous ferryboat to cross the Ohio 
into Kentucky. The boat was a peculiar looking thing, 
if anything more ugly and unweildy than the Maryland 
that plies our waters at liome, and carries cars between 
Jersey City and Morrisania. But she was well handled 
and stemmed the muddy current bravely for Egypt's shore. 
There was a man in Cairo who kept a huckster shop. 
To him was intrusted the duty of providing coffee for the 
party. He had never probably seen so large a party of 
coffee drinkers, and his sympathies were evidentlv not 
with the "Yanks. " He was the only man in the whole 
Soutliern trip that the writer wanted to kill, and he don't 
know but he may re-visit Cairo at some future time for 
that purpose. He did not only give us bad coffee, but he 
soiu'cd it with such an ungracious manner and surly speech, 
that had an alligator crawled out (^f his native mud and 
swallowed him, coffee, alleged sugar and all, it would 



32 

liave been a pleasing sight — but a very disagreeable thing 
for the alligator no doubt. Shakespeare in the Comedy 
of Errors, describes this man — or another just like him as 

follows : 

"They brought on Punch, a hungry, lean-faced villian, 

A mere anatomy, a mountebank, 

A threadbare juggler and a fortune-teller, 

A needy, hollow-eyed, sharp looking wretch, 

A living dead man:" 
Peace to his ashes ! 

Egypt presented little hope of breakfast, though it was 
said that far down the track, there were several houses 
where "something" might be purchased. The men and 
officers scattered to forage. The writer and one or two 
others found a place where the smiling housewife said 
that she could and would prepare a meal at 25 cents a 
head. Never was a breakfast more enjoyed, and there is 
not a man of the 20 that sat down but remembers the 
Egyptian hospitality with thankfidness. The fare was as 

follows : 

Genuine Kentucky Bean Coffee, 

(Much better than it sounds.) 

Hoe Cake. 

Ham and Eggs. 

Hominy. 

Real Milk. 

Very good Butter and Bread. 

Pork Steaks and Fried Potatoes. 

Pickles and Apple Sauce. 

Other houses opened their doors to the hungry soldiers 

and many a face that frowned when leaving Cairo, was 

wreathed in smiles when the whistle blew for a departure 



33 

from Egypt, fur the memory of li(>»g, hominy and hoe cake 
lingered with the men. There was a ruinous old barrack 
building near the railroad that interested the party very 
much. All this section of country was at one time covered 
with regiments, and some of the veterans of Ours had 
passed over the ground in the days gone by. The only 
wonder was how they could have lived on such a peculiar 
soil. The ground was swampy and the low banks of the 
river were everywhere overflowed. The flat bottom steam- 
boats attracted more than ordinary attention, and much 
chaffing was indulged in between the coffee-colored deck 
hands and the boys of Ours. Several old darkies stood 
about the cars and asked questions, seemingly much in- 
terested in the uniforms. Two officers approached a house 
standing back a short distance from the river, more from 
curiosity than anything else. Three or four little picka- 
ninnies were playing before the door. One of the officers 
called the youngest of the boys to him, and patting him 
on the head, asked him his name and age. The little fel- 
low hung down his head and ran away confused Just at 
this moment his mother, a woman of fifty or thereabouts, 
opened the cabin door. In a moment she appeared to 
appreciate the situation. 

"Granville Jackson you come right hyar and be spect- 
ful to the gemmen. Dey is Yank hossifers you 'ittle brack 
fool and is used to bein' spected. " Granville Jackson 
however, continued to hang his head and remained at a 
safe distance. 



34 

" How do yoii know we are officers ? " the mother was 
asked. 

"I golly, I reckon I know hossifers when I see 'em. 
Used to see right smart of 'em 'bout liyar 'fore the sur- 
render." 

" How did you know we were northeners ? " 

" Knowed that for suah, Colonel, 'cause everybody 'bout 
hvah was saying dot de Yanks was a comin.' I used to 
live right over hyar on a place. Is dey hard times in de 
north since the surrender ? Find it pretty hard 'bout 
hyar, can't do much no way." 

It was evident at Egypt that we were really in Dixie. 
The whole aspect of affairs changed. The firemen of lo- 
comotives were darkies as were also the brakemen. The 
conductor of our train was a genuine specimen of one type 
of a Southener, and everything seemed strange and new. 
Attention was called to the fact that we were now really 
in the South ; that we were there as guests ; that the peo- 
ple were hosts, and that the men should not for a moment 
forget these things. The orders issued by the Colonel 
were most cheerfully obeyed and there was not a single 
instance of a breach in that direction. 

The wintry aspect of our Northern landscape remained 
practically imchanged, but the coimtry differed widely 
from the North in the sparscness of its settlement, and 
a certain air of lack of capital which seemed to envelope it 
down to the flowers and birds of the Pelican state. As away 
the train sped along, through miles of low and swampy 



35 

ground, a peculiar type of Southern life was made mani- 
fest. For miles the inhabitants were chiefly negroes who 
tenanted log cabins, one story high, with chimneys of logs 
and plastered with mud. Tlie occupants generally owned 
from one to four acres of land, on which they raise cotton 
enough to support them in their simple mode of life from 
season to season. This year the crop w^as botli poor and 
and backward, owing to the severe winter. In many fields 
men and women were observed picking the cotton flower. 
Our train made few stops, but whenever we did draw up 
at a station, we found a throng of men, women and child- 
ren, white and black, whose demonstrations were most 
friendly. As the distance from Egypt was made longer, 
a marked change in the country was observed, and the 
climate grew milder. We were passing from wintt^- into 
spring. The woods and fields gradually put aside their 
wintrv aspect, and the budding leaves and foliage fortold 
our approach to summer land. At Milan, Tenneseee, the 
train stopped for dinner, after which most of the detach- 
ment lounged about the platforms, and talked with the 
throng of people gathered to do us honor. A little dar- 
key, black as a coal, and as lively as a rat, addressing one 
ot the men asked : 

'' Be you a Yankee ?" 

*' Oh, no " was the response "I am a New Yorker." 
The boy's face grew very thoughtful. His eyes rolled 
wildly. He looked dejected and inquisitive. A Yankee 
he knows. But his whole being embodies itself in an in- 



36 

terrogation mark, and seems to ask : '' What on earth 
is a New Yorker ?" Oh, Emperial city of Manhattan Is- 
Land, crowned with trophies, and lassoing the corners of 
the earth to tliy feet with thy raih'oads and telegraphs, 
and white sailed ships ! Even thy name and fame liave 
limitations. There are those to whom thy mighty name 
is but a meaningless sound. Never having seen a genuine 
plantation dance, a party soon formed a ring around this 
same diminutive darkey, whose raiment, scanty even in its 
original shape, seemed about to leave him altogether. The 
little fellow shook it down right merrily, executing some 
movements that would make our "variety specialists" 
turn green with envy. He was rewarded with a handful 
of »ickels — probably untold wealth to him, and when the 
train departed, stood looking after it with wide extended 
eyes as if a vision of paradise was passing from him. 



CHAPTER V. 



MISSISSIPPI AND LOUISIANA. 

O beauteous Peace ! 
Sweet Union of a state ! what else but thou 
Gives safety, strength and glory to a people? 

— Tho))ipson. 

Holly Springs is only a short distance over the Missis- 
sippi border. A signal was flying there for the train to 
Stop, and stop it did. Hundreds of people crowded 
about the little station, ladies waved their handkerC!hiefs 
from the windows and balconies, and a line of soldiers in 
gray, were drawn up at present arms. They were the 
Autrey Rifles, and were paraded in our honor. The men 
were turned out and drawn up in a long line without arms, 
and everybody awaited developments. Presently a tall 



38 

and commanding looking man forced his way through the 
crowd, and bared his head. There was a hush at once. 
Colonel Vose made his way up the line, and stood near 
while a number of officers grouped themselves about the 
two. It was Major General Winfield Scott Featherstone, 
at one time commanding a Division in the Southern Army, 
and he addressed us on behalf of the State of Mississippi 
and the citizens of the County. The General said : 

*' I welcome you across our border. There was a time 
when your coming would have occasioned a feeling of 
fear and distrust ; that was in the bitter past. Thank God 
it has passed ! (Cheers.) The North and the south never 
understood one another ; never had a grand convocation 
until 1 86 1, when the country was in arms from the Atlan- 
tic to the Rio Grande. Thank God those days are gone. 
We welcome you here. We want you to see our people 
and our fertile soil. All we need now is capital. Your 
coming will do much to make us acquainted. You will 
find us of the South, as loyal to our country's Hag as you 
are. (Enthusiastic cheers.) When the time comes for 
our great country to have a foreign war and we can never 
have anv other, we will march with you against our com- 
mon enemy. The Seventy-first New York, will march side 
by side with the Seventy-first Mississippi, under the same 
officers, and the same flag, for our cause and our country 
are one." 

Colonel Vose responded, thanking the General for his 
kindly words, and assuring him, that when the moment 



39 

came, the soldiers of New York would be found ready to 
march shoulder to shoulder with those of Mississippi to 
Victory. Then there arose such a yell from the Missis- 
sippians as few of the boys of Ours had heard in many a 
day. It was the old '* war yell " given with a vim, and 
redoubled when the band struck up Dixie and Yankee 
Doodle. The cheer of the regiment mingled with the 
prolonged, piercing cry, and the strains of the band were 
almost lost. General Featherstone stood with his head 
uncovered, his long white lock's flowing in the wind, his 
face full of animation and fire, the very beau ideal of the 
ancien regime. Colonel Vose stood beside him, his long 
military cloak thrown back, his head erect and features 
smiling, the beau ideal of a soldier. Their hands were 
clasped. The whole tableau was spirited and dramatic— 
the long line of blue uniforms, the smoking train, the 
gleaming rifles of the boys in gray, the hundreds of anx- 
ious, curious faces peering over their shoulders, made a 
picture that the golden sfiadows of the deepening tAvilight 
exquisitely framed. It was one of the most interesting 
episodes of the entire trip. The warmth and spontaniety 
of the greeting made us feel that we were among brothers 
indeed. 

A few miles more and we had run into a thunder show- 
er—remember, this was in February— the lightning flashed 
vividly, and the rain fell in torrents far into the night. 
The boys did not care much for that however, as' they 
were comfortable enough in the cars, and thought that : 



40 

The poet may talk of his hites and guitars, 
Or screw up his fiddle of sorrow ; 
But while we have plenty of pipes and cigars, 
We'll look for a brighter to-morrow. 

From a heavy snow storm, to a warm thunder shower 

in forty-eight hours, was something of a change, but the 

boys did not spend the night in pondering over it by any 

means. Many a quiet way-side station that night, echoed 

with the regimental cheer, which by tlie way, became very 

popular in the South, and many requests were made for 

its repetition when once heard. It runs, as near as it can 

be expressed in print, as follows : 

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! 

Seventy-one! Seventy-one! Seventy-one! 

Rah! Rah! Rah! 

S-ssssssssssss! 

Boom ! Ah!-h-h-h-h!! 

Siniday morning broke bright and beautiful, and when 
the train pulled up in Hammond, Louisiana, it was like a 
June day. The Mowers were in bloom, the trees were 
green; and the darkies were running about with very little 
more on than was provided by nature. The large hotel 
looked inviting, and many a pair of lips were smacked in 
anticipation of a good breakfast, for it was announced that 
here we were to meet a company of uniformed men from 
Buffalo, and that we should consequently be delayed for 
about two hoiu-s. The hotel was invaded, but alas I the 
Washington Artillery detachment had stopped there over 
night, and had eaten the hotel people out of house and 
home ! The detachment niniibered only' about fifty men, 



41 

but the hotel man said that he had never seen such eaters 
in his life. This same detachment welcomed us with a 
royal salute from field pieces brought up with them from 
New Orleans the night before. They served the guns 
magnificently. Every man in the detachment was a vet- 
eran of the war, and a gentleman of business and social 
prominence. Their coming so far to meet us, was es- 
teemed by the men of Ours as a compliment of the high- 
est order. Many and graphic reminiscences were inter- 
changed between the veterans of both sides. One of the 
artillerymen said that he had a bullet in him somewhere 
— a yankee bullet — and if he could only get it out, he 
would present it to one of Ours, whereupon one of our 
veterans declared with tears in his eyes, that he had a 
piece of a Johnny bullet in his thigh, and that he would 
give a thousand dollars to get both of them out so they 
could exchange. Then the two veterans went off to get 
a drink, and everybody within hearing, wished that thev 
had a bullet in some portion of their body. Colonel 
Horton of the Washington Artillery in a few words, referred 
t(^ the fact that his regiment and the Seventy-first had ex- 
changed leaden compliments a number of times, and a 
committee of the army of the Tennessee presented our 
boys with a handsome silk banner, bearing words of cor- 
diaJ welcome and greeting.* 

But, while all this was going on and most of the party 
were drinking champagne and eating cold sandwiches, a 
small number of very hungry men were skirmishing for 

* Appendix l\. 



42 

a breakfast. Thinos were beginning to look very blue, 
when a gentleman came forward and tendered the hospi- 
talities of his house. This was Mr. C. E. Cate, one of 
the most genial and pleasant men the detachment encoun- 
tered on the trip. Mr. Cate insisted, and the party made 
but a feeble show of resistance. His handsome little Villa 
was situated about a quarter of a mile from the depot, 
approached by paths shaded with rustling leaves and 
Hanked with perfumed hedges. The party was ushered 
into the parlor and presented to Mrs. Cate. We then 
realized how genuine the desire was, to show us true 
hospitality. This gentleman was known to none of us ; 
he was in no way connected with, or responsible for oin* 
recepticjn. He only knew that we were Northeners, the 
guests of Louisiana, and consequently of his. His whole 
manner was a courteous and kind reminder that we were 
welcome to the sunny S(juth and the sunny hearts of its 
])eople. 

View tlieni near 
At home, where all their wealth and pride is placed; 
And there, their hospitable fires burn clear." 

It was the first instance of the trip where any of the 
partv had been invited to the home of a Southern gentle- 
man ; It was only the beginning of a roinid of social at- 
tention that was unprecedented in the history of any body 
of travelei's. 

The train started at last for the Crescent City, fifty 
miles distant. The organization already referred to, had 
arrived, and their train followed oiu's. With us went 



the Washington Artillery, and a special car containing a 
couple of cannons and innumerable bottles of wine. 
The fifty miles ride along the river was the most interest- 
ing portion of the trip. The scenery was entirely new to 
most of the party. The cabins and houses had a ruinous 
look. Every now and again, the train whirled by the 
ruins o+' a cotton press, at one time no doubt, the busy 
centre of a great plantation. The soil was under cultiva- 
tion; men were busy plowing the fields that were not un- 
der water. The woods presented an appearance of dense 
tropical undergrowth, surmounted with cotton-wood trees, 
mossy and w^eird-like in their gaunt nakedness. Along 
the banks of the river were dense groves of the Sycamore, 
intermingling with the Southern pine, all in leaf, their 
roots and trunks washed by the overflowing Mississippi. 
Then an orchard whisked by, the trees in blossom, the 
perfume permeating the cars, and together with the Mag- 
nolia and Orange freighting the soft and balmy air with 
incense until the senses were beguiled to dreaminess, only 
to be roused by the sharp whistle for New Orleans. 



C H A P T P: R V I . 



IN THE CRESCENT CITY. 

Monarch of heroes in the wide domain 
Where Freedom writes her signature in stars, 
And bids her Eagle bear the blazing scroll, 
To usher in the reign of peace and love. 
Thou mighty Mississippi! ♦ * * 
It reigns alone ! 

Aye gather Europe's royal rivers all — 

Our Mississippi, rolling proudly on, 

Would sweep them from its path, or swallow up. 

Like Aaron's Rod, these streams of fame and song! 

—Hale. 

The arrival in New Orleans was uf course tlie feature 

of the trip. Everyone had looked forward to that mo- 



45 

ment with more than ordinary interest. It was to be 
the end of a long journey and the beginning of a 
week of pleasures and sightseeing. It was no wonder 
then that when the city was announced, the men thronged 
the windows and platforms of the cars and gazed curious- 
ly at everybody and everything. TJie quaint old houses 
interested all, and the thousands of people who thronged 
the streets were more interesting than the houses. Our 
reception was more or less of the conventional sort, but 
there were some things about it that were curious. The 
people turned out en masse, and flocked about the cars 
with words of kindly greeting. 

The train was taken far into the city before the signal 
to alight was given. It was rather warm, but the boys 
did not realize it for awhile. The fact, hoAvever, that the 
thermometer stood at 78° in the shade, was more or less 
impressed on their minds before they reached their quar- 
ters. Of course we alighted from the cars in heavy 
marching order — as we had left New York. That meant 
overcoats on and the heavy knapsacks capped with blank- 
ets. Everybody else was happy and cool in light summer 
costumes. The military drawn up about the stopping 
place consisted of the Battalion of Louisiana Field Ar- 
tillery, Colonel Le Gardeur, commanding; the Veteran 
Company of the AYashington Artillery, Captain C. L. C. 
Dupuy, commanding; the Battalion of Washington Ar- 
tillery, Colonel Horton, commanding; the Continental 
Guards ; the Charleston Cadets, and the Boston Lancers. 



46 

Then came the Seventy-first in four companies, double 
rank formation, of course- It was a very curious thing 
to us to see all the other organizations marching in single 
rank, and we seemed a genuine curiosity to them because 
we marched as the tactics provides, 

"I see you still preserve the old lock step," said a uni- 
formed gentleman to the writer. 

''Why do you call it the old lock step?" was the re- 
sponse. 

"Why it is all out of date, is it not?" 

This conversation w4th a military man serves to show 
how unpopular the double rank formation was supposed 
to be. Indeed this matter was so seriously considered, 
that Colonel Vose was requested at one time to march 
the command in column of fours at single rank distance, 
but after consultation with the commandants of com- 
panies, concluded to preserve the regular formation. 
This was wise, because it served to distinguish Ours on 
all parades from every other organization, except the 
Marines of the North Atlantic Squadron, who marched 
as we did, of course. The solid appearance the column 
of companies in double rank gave the battalion, popular- 
ized it, until the second or third day we received cheers 
and congratulations for what had first been looked upon 
as entirely out of all precedent. When everything was 
ready, the line of march was taken up, down St. Charles, 
to Lafayette street, to Camp, to Canal, to St. Charles, to 
Poydras, to the Levee. The march was a perfect ovation. 



47 

The streets were filled with people, who applauded con- 
tinually, the houses were decorated, while from every 
window some lady fair waved a welcome. If there ever 
was a time for the Regiment to do its best it was then. 
As is often the case, the men felt this so keenly that they 
marched wretchedly. It was hot enough though for 
July, and the moisture poured down their faces and 
trickled cheerfully from the chin-straps. This was some 
excuse for bad marching. When the Arsenal of the Wash- 
ington Artillery was reached there was a halt. Amid the 
clashing of the bands and the cheers of the people, it 
was more (jr less difficult to understand what was going 
on. Tlie C(jlonel rode up and down the line, the very 
picture (jf misery, the end of his sword dripping (not 
with gore), and the "end of his nose glistening like a dew 
drop of an early morning in May. The Major, with one 
eye on the open door of the Arsenal, and the other on the 
battalion, stood (in a position similar to the pose of Ajax 
defying the lightning) seemingly defying the sun to a 
fiercer attack. Then Major General Behan rode along 
the line, his swarthy features smiling and his black eves 
flrtshing response to tlie sun, which bv this time had 
raised the thermometer to onlv 80", though it felt like 
180'^. Suddenly Jenks was observed to straighten up and 
twirl liis baton. The line was movingi A few steps 
bnriight us U) the entrance of tlie Arsenal, and we turned 
in. Along the lines of the Washington Artillerv to the 
further end of the great hall, larger, if anvthing, than that 



48 

of the Seventh, at home, we marched and stood around 
tables, on which were placed goblets of champagne 
punch. The delightful coolness of the place lingered 
with the boys for days, and the delightful fragrance of 
the pimch lingers with them yet. Goblet after goblet 
was hastily swallowed and there was no unpleasant 
effect. One could not but exclaim with Pope: 

"There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, 
And drinking largely sobers us again. 

In the centre of the hall was a great platform, over 
which was hung the original painting of the meeting of 
Lee and Jackson, many copies of which are to be foinid 
through the Southern country. It was a very cheerful 
scene altogether. Cheer upon cheer rose from the men 
in the building to be taken up by the thousands on the 
outside, until everything shook. A moment between 
drinks was snatched to listen to addresses of welcome, 
very short ones, from Colonel Horton, Major General 
Behan, Mayor Shakespeare, Brigadier General Glinn and 
Mr. Albert Baldwin, President of the Royal Host, to which 
Colonel Vose responded of course, and the boys let go of 
the punch glasses long enough to give the regimental 
cheer. Then we marched to the Levee, and down to our 
boat, the Robert E. Lee. In some respects we were for- 
tiniate in regard to oiu- quarters, in others most unfortu- 
nate. I was juht about to say that the fact of our boat 
being on the river, was a happy thing in its way, but the 
boat was not on the river. It was on the mud, a portion 
of it, and the other portion propped tip against the Levee. 



49 

The fact is, the Robert E. Lee had brcjken her (more 
properly his) shaft, and was laid up for repairs. If it had 
not been for that, the Lord knows what we wcnild have 
done for quarters, for every house in New Orleans was 
full. She, or he was lying alongside the planking of the 
Levee, and an enormous gang plank made a passage to 
her, or his main deck an easy matter. From her or his 
main deck, a wide stairway led to the deck above, on which 
were the cabins and saloons. These cabins and staterooms 
were very comfortable, but the boat was too faraway from 
the centre of civilization. That was a great disadvantage, 
it was entirely too far away from the restaurant where the 
meals were served. That was a greater disadvantage, 
besides, there were a number of smaller disadvantages. 
But there were advantages too. Beside us, rolled the 
great Mississippi, which from its source, amid the jagged 
rocks and icy towers, thousands of miles away, slowly like, 
youthful Titan, gathers strength and pursues its majestic 
course, until it reigns over the valley it blesses. It was 
worth a journey of two thousand miles to sit on the decks 
of our steamer and watch the muddy waters of this Em- 
press of streams as they danced and sparkled on their way 
to the sea. Near us were anchored the North Atlantic 
Squadron, United States Navy, about us were hundreds 
of steamboats, large and small, hugh flat bottomed things, 
lying dormant in the day, and puffing about like monsters 
in the night. Towards the shore, there was the long line 
of cotton bales, the thousands of colored flags marking 



tlic owners or consig-ners of freight, tlie darkeys working, 
pulling here and rolling there, occasionally falling up 
against the wrong end of a wise and patient mule, and in 
the back grcumd rose the City, the sun gilding its roofs 
and spires. It was a plea,sant plnce to be quartered after 
all. The men were assigned bunks in the staterooms, and 
some who could not be accommodated in that way, were 
given c(jts in the main saloon. When evervbody had been 
settled, it was nearlv dinner time, and tiie arrival of Com- 
missary Jacob Mess was anxiously awaited, tie came, 
lie told the boys that they were to be fed at Delmonico's, 
whereat, the enthusiasm was intense. There was some- 
thing about the name, that charmed, even tliough " Louis" 
were a couple (jf thousand miles away. Each man got a 
ticket like this : 



DELMONICO RESTAURANT 



Good f 01- one Meal. 



SEVENTY-FIRST REGIMENT. 



With a ticket in hand, each man started iox the restau- 
rant. But alas and alack, they did not sto]) to inquire 
the way, and so 

" Weill u]) tlic low II 
Aiul down llie lown, 
.\iul round al^oul the iiiiddic.''' 

before their eyes were feasted witii a sign, reading . 



51 



DINING 


ROOMS 


OF 


IHF. 


SEVENTY-FIRST REGIMENT 


Up S' 


AIK':. 



The dinner was not bad by any means. Tliere was 
chicken and roast beef, soup, vegetables, relishes, coffee 
and pies for the first meal, and the average was about the 
same during the stay. 

The Robert E. Lee was an interesting boat. It is one 
of the largest on the river. The cabins are verv much 
like those of our large boats at home, except that everv- 
thing is on one deck — that is everything concerning the 
•passengers. Compared to our boats, it is what living in a 
flat is to living in a seven story and mansard house. Once 
on board the Lee, and on the saloon deck, no one ever 
thinks of going down on the lower deck any more than 
they would think of dropping over a museum tank, and 
into a cage of anacondas, because this lower deck is given 
up entirely to cotton and fifty or so deck hands, as wild and 
turbulent as men can be. No one ever goes down except 
the officers, and they invariably drag a gatling gun after 
them. Hardly a trip is completed unaccompanied by a 
stabbing afray among the deck hands, and in manv 
instances, these affairs end fatally. These men are never 
allowed above and the saloon boys never go down to the 
main deck. When they do, they very frequently remain 
down in a "demition moist" state. This main deck is 



52 

tlie siinic deck upon whicli the ladies cabin is situated, on 
our bcjats, and very frequently the dining rooms, retiring- 
rooms, bars and clerk's and captain's rooms. In some 
instances, as on the North river and Sound boats, the 
dining-room is situated below this main deck. On the Lee 
all this was reversed. There was nothing on the main 
deck for a passenger ; even his baggage was carried to 
the deck above. The place was reserved for the freight, 
the roaring tires and fighting crew. There was ncjthing 
below except a very shallow hold, in which a man could 
liardly stand upright, for the Lee, like many Mississippi 
boats, is flat bottomed and very broad of beam. It is 
hardlv necessary to say that none but the saloon stewards 
remained on board when we took possession. Engineers, • 
firemen and deck-hands took a holiday. The main deck was 
deserted. This deck was opened fore and aft, and the 
saloons and cabins looked as if they were only stuck up 
on posts, and removable at pleasure. The guard of heavy 
timber, running all around the deck, was only about two 
feet high. About amidship were the boilers and engines. 
The boilers were not enclosed but stood on the deck, open 
;it both sides to the river, and covered above only by the 
salo(jn flooring. The space between decks was very great. 
The engines, there were two of them, were queer looking 
things, utterly different from anything seen in our waters. 
There was an engineer on eacli side of the boat. It looked 
as if there was an enormous waste of space, but there 
wasn't. The I ^ee ran between New Orleans and Vicksburg, 



53 

and her principal carrying trade was cotton. Enormous 
quantities of this could be placed on the main deck. It 
would fill up the space, tier on tier, until the bales would 
rise several feet above even the guard rails of the saloon 
deck. At night this lower deck, with its long posts sup- 
porting the upper deck, its dark and dingy machinery, 
and its deserted look, was a gruesome place. Did you 
ever go into a deserted saw mill, near a wood, and an old 
mill pond, at night? — a haunted mill? There is something 
of that sort in every country district. Well if you did'nt, 
try it the first chance you get, and there analyze your 
feelings. The writer stood at midnight amid the deep 
shadows of the Lee's lower deck, and watched the weird 
shapes the flickering light of his lantern cast (there was 
some-one with him, you may depend) and saw in fancy the 
great fires roaring; heard the clanking of machinery, the 
scurrying here and there of the sixty or seventy black 
deck hands ; heard the hoarse whistle sound in response 
to another, the quick jingle of the bell, to stop ! to back! 
to go ahead ! heard the sharp exclamation of the engineer 
" we just grazed her!" saw a rush toward two fighting 
negroes; heard a dull thud and a cry of anguish, and, as 
they carried the body aft, the words "knew that cuss 
would get knifed this trip." Then the scene changed, 
and in the fitful light, he saw a procession of shades, who 
rolled the cotton, laughed and joked, and fought as they 
might have done in life, but there was no sound save the 
hollow echo of his foot falls as he hurried away to get 
a big drink, and go to bed. 



CHAPTER \'II 



SUNDAY NIGHT. 

"Why such impress of shipwrights, whose sore task 
Does not divide the Sunday from the week? 
What might be toward, that this sweaty haste 
Doth make the niglit joint laborer with tlie day?" 

—S/iah-. 

It was Sunday night and no one seemed to know it, so 
busy had the hours been and so exciting was the situation. 
It is perhaps wrong to say no one, for it is claimed by 
some that Dr. Carlos Martyn, the Chaplain, did remem- 
ber it, and even went so far as to suggest to one or two 
of the officers that a regimental service would be a proper 



55 

and refreshing thing after so long a journey. Of course 
the officers agreed with him, but disappeared very sud- 
denly immediately after. The Chaplain, however, was 
not to be humbugged in that fashion. If he could not 
have a service of his own, he would attend some one else's. 
So he went to church. At least he says he went to church, 
and as no one else even made that claim, no one dared 
dispute him. Besides all this, the Chaplain's record in 
the regiment is good, because there isn't an officer with 
whom he has not wrestled at some period, in the hope of 
reform. That was an eventful night for the Chaplain, and 
not entirely uneventful for many others. What he did 
and how he served is best told by himself, in his admira- 
ble lecture, delivered at the Thirty-fourth Street Reformed 
Church, after the return. The Chaplain says : 

"Remembering that it was Sunday night, the Chaplain 
resolved to attend church, especially as it had been found 
impossible, amid the tumultuous experiences of the day, 
to hold a regimental service. Making his wav along the 
streets, he was pleased to see that the warehouses and 
shops were as closely shut as in New York, though he 
learned, to his regret, that in the evening the theatres 
were always open. 

In due season the First Presbyterian Church was 
sighted and entered. Though the streets were gav with 
uniforms and noisy with revelry, it gratified the Chap- 
lain to find the house of God crowded witli worship- 
ers — the finest evening congregation he had seen for 



56 

many a dav, and, as he was told, not exceptional in that 
church. Having listened to a masterly sermon from the 
pastor, the Rev. Dr. Palmer, the Chaplain elbowed his 
wav out, intending to return to his quarters, 

In this connection it becomes my duty as a truthful his- 
torian, to relate a painful story. As the Chaplain, a 
sedate and sober man, as you know, was walking on with 
characteristic decorum, and, with a propriety suited to the 
dav, running over in his mind the points (jf that excellent 
sermon, he fell — not from grace — but he certainly fell. 
There could be no doubt about that. The fall was too 
emphatic to permit question. You see, the gutters of 
New Orleans are peculiar. They are low towards the 
street and raised towards the sidewalk, and are half as 
wide as the Mississippi. Their safe navigation demands 
both knowledge and agility. A stranger from rural New 
York, the Chaplain was defective in these points. Essay- 
ing the passage, he stubbed his toe — and lay sprawling ! 
*'My stars!" exclaimed he — nothing stronger, upon 
honor. That remark he thought appropriate. He saiv 
stars. By and bye he picked himself up, collected his 
scattered fragments and proceeded to take an account of 
stock, with the following result : Two badly soiled hands; 
one very dirty coat ; one ditto pair of pants, with a huge 
rent across the left knee, and a shin seriously wounded 
in this battle of New Orleans — General Jackson ! how it 
ached. What to do? That was the question. Now, the 
Chaplain is a wise man in his generation. He knew that 



57 

if he returned to the boat in that plight it would be diffi- 
cult to persuade the unregenerate that he had been to 
church. Appearances were certainly against him. In a 
dazed and uncertain way he limped towards the St. 
Charles Hotel, hugging the shadows, hailed a cab, and 
without stopping to higgle over the fare, had himself 
driven to the neighborh(;od of the boat. Alighting on 
the levee, he paid the cabman, Then the long military 
cloak he wore was artistically adjusted. Hanging it over 
those two dirty hands, lifting it well up, so that it should 
cover the soiled coat, and letting it trail to his boots in 
a way that hid the damaged trow^sers and the outrageous 
rent in the knee, the Chaplain tlirew back his head, 
rushed past the guard at the gangway, glared defiantly 
at tlie men scattered through the saloon, as who should 
say : 

"Thou canst not say I did it ; never shake 
Thy gory locks at me. " 

opened his state-room door, and vanished. 

But the story leaked out. The Chaplain was the victim 
of misplaced confidence. In a moment of weakness, but 
with the charming frankness characteristic of an innocent' 
nature, he embosomed himself to the surgeon of the reg- 
iment, expecting sympathy — and silence. He remem- 
bered that it is the function of a physician to believe im- 
probable stories. Well, he got the sympathy, but the si- 
lence ? — no ! The next day, at a private dinner party,the 
irreverent doctor gave his version of the adventure — a 



5^^ 

version, I am bound to acknowledge, highly coniph'merf- 
tary to his inventive genius. Tliereafter the Cliaplain 
was kept busv until bed time making explanations — just 
as though he iiad been a Congressman ! 

While the Chaplain was at church, or wrestling with 
the knotty points of Dr. Palmer's seniion in the quiet of 
the cabin of the Lee, his comrades were scattered about 
the city, in quest of adventure. By nine o'clock none re- 
mained on board but the guard, and thev were only there 
in tiesh. Their spirits were in the city. Eveiy thing was 
new and strange. The weather was simply perfect. The 
moon rose over the city and seemed to hover there, while 
the evening star gleamed close beside it. It was a perfect 
crescent, and the conjunction appeared to augur that the 
stars thought well of the crescent city below — so brilliant 
and gay. As the Chaplain has sorrcjwfuUy remarked, the 
theatres were all open, and the audiences were large too. 
In some of them uniforms — blue uniforms — could have 
been seen. The city was very gay indeed. The princi- 
pal streets were filled with merry people, who laughed 
and chatted good humoredly. It was a very different 
crowd than that of our streets on Sunday night. The 
church goers and theatre goers mingled harmoniously, 
each giving the other credit for knowing what pleased 
them. All about one heard the rattle of foreign lan- 
guages; French, which is almost as common as English, 
Spanish, Italian and German, with all the variations those 
languages are susceptible of. 



59 

As a matter of fact New Orleans is two cities in one, 
with Canal street for a dividing line. On either side are to be 
found the French and Spanish and the American town, 
but the social lines are not as carefully drawn as the geo- 
graphical. Canal street is an avenue of great beauty, two 
hundred feet wide, with sidewalks and carriage ways on 
each side, and in the centre a raised space, planted with 
two rows of trees, called the " neutral ground " and utih 
ized by a line of street cars. The French or Spanish town 
is very interesting in its antique quaintness. The streets 
are very narrow, and diverge in an irregular and abrupt 
way. A walk through them recalled similar strolls in 
France and Spain, and the occasional sound of voices 
singing and conversing in those languages adds to the 
illusion. It may be, doubtless it is, a morbid feeling which 
prompts the meditative man to pause and look up at the 
stones of some old house, thinking the while how long 
those inanimate blocks will remain there, and how many 
others will gaze up at them when the present beholder 
is mouldering into dust. Such thoughts may be morbid, 
but the old Spanish town of New Orleans engendered 
them on that moonlit Sunday night. With that came an- 
other thought, that, could the kindred thoughts of others 
have been impressed on those old stones, how thev would 
be covered with inscriptions. The stones are there. Their 
builders are gone, yet nature is as gay, the moon shines 
as bright, men are as busy in gain-getting as in tlie vears 
that are past. Well may we exclaim : 



6o 



Who peopled all the city streets 

A hundred years ago ? 

Who filled the church with faces meek 

A hundred years ago ? 

The sneering tale 

Of sister frail, 

The plot that work'd 

A brother's hurt ; 

Where, O ! where are the plots and sneers. 

The poor man's hopes, the rich man's fears. 

Of a hundred years ago ? 

Whether the men spent the evening in contemplation 
of the houses or otherwise tlie writer knows not, though 
he inclines somewhat toward the latter idea, but certain 
it is that the ponderous doors of the guard house yawned 
rather often after midnight, to engulf the luckless wight 
who had overstaid his pass. It was long after the "witch- 
ing hour " when the lonely sentry- could accurately count 
the snores of his comrades, who were dreaming of the 
morning that was to usher in the King. 



CHAPTER VIII 



ARRIVAL OF THE KING. 

He's a king, 
A true, right king, that dares do aught save wrong; 
Fears nothing mortal, but to l^e unjust; 
Who is not blown up with the flatt'ring puffs 
Of spongy sycophants; who stands unmoved 
Despite the justling of opinion. 

— Mixrstoii. 

On Monday afternoon His Majesty, Rex, came. His ap- 
proach had been heralded for days with as much care as 
though he bore the mightiest sceptre in the universe. 
Every morning the papers published double leaded and 
double headed bulletins of the King's condition and his 
whereabouts. His arrival at the Jetties was flaunted in 
the face of every man, woman and child who read a New 
Orleans paper. There were columns of proclamations and 
edicts. The clerks of the "department of state " were 



62 

busy for days under the direction of Warwick, Earl Mar- 
shal, and Bathurst, Lord High Chamberlain of the Empire, 
completing the final details for his reception and work- 
ing up the public sentiment to a just appreciation of the 
honor that was about to be conferred on the city. While 
all this hubbub was in progress the Royal Host and the 
Societies connected with it were quietly preparing for the 
processions of Tuesday. No one seemed to know just 
where these preparations were being made or by whom 
they were directed. No one seemed to care. Everyone 
knew that there was to be a scenic display that was prom- 
ised to far eclipse anything of the kind they had ever seen. 
Where it was to come from troubled no one. They were 
satisfied that the arrangements were in proper hands and 
that in good time they w^ould see all that was promised. 
The chariots and floats would have made Barnum sick 
with envy, but the places where they were stored put to 
blush the dreariness of circus tents off duty. There w^as 
no crowd about the place though ; no women and children 
pushed and struggled to get a glimpse through the half 
open doors and no small boys climbed, at the risk of their 
necks, the peaks and gables of the adjoining houses. 
Had such a mass of scenic treasure been stored in New 
York it would have taken half a thousand policemen to 
keep the place from being overrun. 

A large steamboat went down the river, starting early 
in the morning. There was gathered on board a select 
company of ladies and gentlemen. The boat went down 



the river " to mee^ the King," but just wliere His Majestv 

got on board was kept a profound mysterv. When about 

five miles away from the city, it was announced that His 

Majesty was in the grand sah)on and, amid the popping of 

champagne corks, his health was drank and liis praises 

sung. 

"The presence of a king engenders love 
Among his subjects, and his royal friends." 

The steamer stood up the river towards Canal street 
and presently the levee, black with his surging subjects, 
came in view. It was a sight long to be remembered. 
Along the river front, flanked with hundreds of bales of 
cotton, stood thousands of men, women and children 
awaiting his coming. Away up Canal street, roval itself 
in appearance, as far as the eye could reach were, line 
upon line, the glittering bayonets and waving plumes of 
the military. Close upon the river's front were the bhie 
uniforms of Ours and the United States Marines. A hun- 
dred gallant horsemen, — Dukes of the Empire every one 
— gay in the royal purple and gold, awaited their master's 
coming at the landing stage. There was a salvo of artil- 
lery as his Majesty stepped on the sacred soil of his capi- 
tal city. Never did monarch enter a gayer capital. Since 
the royal fleet had set sail from Utopia nature had smiled 
upon his favorite. The clouds had tied from the heavens, 
the soft breezes had come up from the tropics and staved 
long enough to burst the buds, open the sweet violets and 
raise the grass above the sod. He landed amid the cheers 



64 

of thoLiScinds, the waving of flags and the booming of can- 
non. Batteries roared on the shore and the heavy ord- 
nance of the North Atlantic squadron, United States Navy, 
shook the houses. No monarch ever entered a more loyal 
city. As his boat came up the river, covered with craft 
crowded with the beauty of New Orleans, the yards of the 
men-of-war were manned, the ships dressed and the high- 
est honors paid him. More could not have been done 
had Rex been monarch from Pole to Pole. Amid the 
plaudits of the people he mounted the royal carriage and 
passed through long lines of military gathered to do him 
honor. About half way up the line there came a pause: 

"The guards mechanically formed in ranks 
Playing, at beat of drum, their martial pranks ; 
Shouldering and standing as if struck to stone, 
While condescending Majesty looks on." 

The Mayor on bended knee presented the golden keys 
of the city resting on cushions of purple velvet. Drums 
rolled, cannons roared, swords flashed in air, standards 
drooped and Rex was King indeed. 

Then came the military parade escorting the King to 
the Opera House. The post of honor was accorded to 
Ours and the colonel commanded the first division of the 
Imperial army, which consisted of the marines, regulars, 
Seventy-first, three regiments of Louisiana troops and two 
batteries of artillery. The two other divisions were equally 
imposing. Amid the pomp and ceremony of the arrival 
proclamations were distributed broadcast, calling on the 
people to make merry on the morrow with deconmi and 
propriety. 



65 

There can be no question of the seriousness of the New 
Orleans Carnival. It costs a great deal of money and a 
great deal of time, which, by the way, is not regarded as so 
exact an equivalent for money in the South as we in New 
York regard it. This marching and counter marching, 
tliis blaring of trumpets and issuing of proclamations 
means something. It is a huge business speculation, sus- 
tained by the leaders of trade, fostered by the wealth and 
fashion of the city ?nd invariably successful. There is 
ncjtliing of the cheap tinsel or advertising humbug about it. 
Even the reception of the King, exquisitely rediculous as 
it may appear to the calmer reflection, is not devoid of 
reason. The King is an ideal monarch. He represents 
in liis royal person, whoever he may be, the beau ideal of 
chivalry and good fellowship. The entire city gives itself 
up to the intoxication of the hour. All business is prac- 
tically suspended and all classes join in the general joy- 
(Aisness. The organizations that control the Mardi Gras 
festivities are composed of the leading gentlemen of 
Louisiana. They give their influence and money towards 
it and their example is followed by every citizen, however 
liumble his rank or short his purse strings. The city is 
given up to Momus and his crew, and the poorest has one 
day of the year to which he can look forward as bringing 
a rest from labors and a succession of pageants that cost 
him nothing. Thousands of strangers come to New Or- 
leans and the country merchants take the occasion for their 
annual buying trip. The thousands of dollars spent by 



66 

the Roynl Host and kindred scjcieties are returned to the 

merchants by the thousands who throng the streets for 

days before. 

Early in the morning ahiiost before the sun has gikied 

the muddy Mississippi the streets are filled with a good 

natured, chaffing, hustling crowd. Men, women and 

children in masks and dominos walk about in the utmost 

good fellowship. 

" City, country, all 
Is in gay triumph tempest toss'd, 
I scarce could press along. The trumpet voice 
Is lost in loud repeated shouts." 

It might be suggested that the entire freedom that is 
indulged in would lead to excesses. Such, howev^er, is 
not the case. The writer took especial pains to inquire 
as to the police retiu-ns for the day and he was assured 
that the percentage of arrests was very slightly increased 
if at all. He did not see one grossly int(K\icated person 
in the streets. 

The processions were all that was claimed for them. 
With the arrival of the King came a parade that discount- 
ed our old time Fourth of July parades at home. Up one 
street and down another, under a very indulgent sun, they 
marched. But there was some satisfaction in the matter, 
for cheers and praises were slujwered on them. The bat- 
talion did do well. The men had got over their nervous- 
ness and, with white trousers, looked and marched better 
than they had in many a day. The Colonel commanded 
the brigade, including the regulars, and Major McAlpin 



67 

did the honors for the battalion in a very handsome man- 
ner. Captain J. R. Denman distinguished himself by 
riding a blooded mare up and down the brigade line, car- 
rying orders for General Vose, until horse and rider 
smoked. The Captain was a member of the staff of 
Brigadier General Plume, of New Jersey, and was one of 
the guests of the regiment and a volunteer on the Gener- 
al's staff. He rode well and furiously, and naturally enough 
came to grief, the mare slipping on the smooth pavements 
and falling prone. In a moment, however, both were up 
and Denman at it again, much to the dissatisfaction of a 
number of surgeons who were hastening from all quarters. 
Fortunate Denman ! 

In the procession of Tuesday the battalion took no 
part whatever and the men were given seats where they 
coidd best view the pageants. The band was chosen as 
the "Court band," which immediately preceded His 
Majesty and divided the honors with him. Tlie proces- 
sions were two in number. One took place in the day — 
all day it seemed tcj be moving — and was certainly a mag- 
nificent affair. The wagons and floats bearing the tableaux 
were most beautiful and there was nothing in any of them 
that suggested an advertisement or an immodest thought. 
When it is said that the very best people not only encour- 
age these carnival processions, but take part in fheni^ their 
wonderful success may be the more readily understood. 
The streets were filled witli thousands of maskers, the 
windows and balconies gay witli sightseers and everybody 



68 

smiling and cheerful. No one could spend Mardi Gras 
in New Orleans without believing in tlie genuiness of the 
happy disposition of the people. The theme of the day pro- 
cession was the Arabian Night's Tales and was illustrated 
by tableaux prepared carefully and at great expense. 
The costumes were new and pretty and the interpreters 
intelligent. First came the Herald, then a detachment of 
police, the court band, Earl Marshal Guards, Grand Vizier, 
standard bearers, Hindoo priests and the boeuf gras. Then 
came twenty-three cars containing tableaux in the order 
named, the prominent figures in the groups being richly 
attired and the attendants appropriately costumed. The 
first car contained King Schahriar seated on his throne, 
followed by the court officers and attendants. The other 
cars contained the Princess Scheherazade ; Third Voyage 
of Sinbad ; Fifth Voyage of Sinbad ; Story of Zobeide ; 
Story of Beker and Gishara ; King of the Black Isles ; 
Three Calendars ; Second Royal Mendicant ; Third Royal 
Mendicant ; Story of the Third Calendar ; Barber and His 
Seven Brothers ; History of Prince Zeyn Alasham ; Nine 
Diamond Statues ; Forty Thieves ; Baba Abdallah ; En- 
chanted House ; Aladdin in the Cave ; Aladdin's Banquet ; 
Abou Hassan; Prince Ahmed and the Lions; Little Hunch- 
back; Story of the Envious Man. Then followed comical 
displays of the Independent Order of the Moon and the 
Phunny Phorty Phellows and proniiscuous maskers on 
foot and in the vans. 

The evening procession was perhaps more magnificent 



69 

than that of the day, probably berausL- of tlic wonderful 
effect of the well managed lights. It was under the aus- 
pices of the "Mistick Krewe of Comus" and had for a 
theme the Myths of the Northland. The story of Sigurd, 
the Valsung and the fall of the Niblung was magnificently 
told in pictures of living fire. First came Comus and his 
" Krewe " attired in blue and silver and following were 
seventeen tableaux in the order named . The Genius of 
the Northland; Gods of Scandinavia; The sw^ord in the 
Branstock; Death of Sigmund; House of Reidmar; The 
Treasures of the World; At the Waterfall; The Workshop 
of the Dwarfs; Elfland, The Bower of Gudrun; Grunhield 
Preparing the Magic Drink; The Voyage of the Niblungs; 
The Last of the Niblungs; The Hell of the Northland; 
Valhalla; Ragnarok; The Twilight of the Gods. 



CHAPTER IX. 



DINING WITH THE GOVERNOR. 

'Tis the middle watch of a summer's night, 
The earth is dark, but the heavens are bright ; 
Naught is seen in the vault on high 
But the moon, and the stars and the cloudless sky. 

—Drake. 

I cry you halt, my master ; 

\o\\ pass not here save at the word 

(3f command. 

— Anon. 

The days went rapidly enough in New Orleans. One 
pleasure succeeded another so rapidly that it was not un- 
til after the return home that the men fully appreciated 
tlie great courtesy with which tlicy had been treated. 
It was one grand hurly biu'ly of delights — no sooner out 



71 

of one than in another. The programme was varied. It 
is quite impossible to begin to give a list of the private 
courtesies shown individuals. The battalicni arrived on 
Sunday morning. On that evening the theatres were 
opened to them, private houses were open to them, noth- 
ing was closed to them, except the boat where the battal- 
ion was quartered, and that only to those who got in after 
midnight and had to make peace with the officer of the 
guard. In connection with that idea the following bit of 
C(jnversation between a belated private and the officer (.f 
the guard is interesting. 

Ofiicer : '* Why did you overstay your pass? " 
Private : " Couldn't help it." 

Officer : " Have to try the guard house with you then I" 
Private : *' That's pretty rough ! " 
Officer : (Sharply) *' What's pretty rough ?" 
Private : " Well now look here. Lieutenant. I come 
down here to New Orleans as a guest of the citv. Re- 
ceived by the Mayor and City council. Citizens treat me 
kindly. Influential citizen — State Senator or assistant 
Govenor or rich planter or something like that — invites 
me to his house the first pop. I go. Am introduced to 
his charming family. Behaved beautifullv. Did the reg- 
iment credit. Asked to come again. Start for home. 
Got there a little late. Forget all about the pass. Cor- 
poral of the guard grabs me. You lock me up. Dine 
with the Govenor and get locked up because I'm too po- 
lite to leave before the proper time. That's what I call 
pretty rough ? " 



72 

If the men did not dine with the Govenor every day, 
they were just as kindly treated and probably had just as 
good dinners. On Monday the King came, and the mag- 
nificence of that event and the battalion's part in it is told 
in another chapter. The same afternoon the Royal Host 
presented the now famous banner. Tuesday was spent 
in viewing the Mardi Gras processions and the great balls 
of the evening. On Wednesday the battalion had a dress 
parade. On Thursday morning the graves of the Con- 
federate boldiers were saluted and on the same afternoon 
tlie Battali(jn had a most succesful reception on board the 
Robert E. Lee. On Friday morning the train was board- 
ed and the homeward journey begun. It can readily be 
seen by this programme that the time of the men was fully 
occupied. The pass svstem for the men was abandoned 
after the first night and afterwards they went and came 
pretty much as they pleased except that they were on hand 
for drills and parades. A number of very amusing inci- 
dents are related of the first night. One has already been 
U)\d. 

It was about iouv (/clock in the morning — four hours 
after midniglit — that the sentiy at the gangway heard the 
sound of stealthy footsteps. He had been warned ttHook 
(Uit for petty theives who might possibly smuggle them- 
selves on board and despoil the sleeping "Yanks," so he 
remained very quietly in the shade of a post and watched 
intently the movements of the mysterious figure on the 
levee. The figure paused behind a cotton bale and 




A RECONNOITRE. 



73 

peered cautiously around the corner. The sentry saw him 
dimly outlined in the flickering light of the gangway lan- 
tern, but he did not see the sentry. This evidently as- 
sured him that the coast was clear, that the sentinels had 
been withdrawn for some reason, and he boldly started 
for the gangway. When just about to step on the plank, 
it occured to him that something was wrong. There was 
an unnatural quiet about the deck, so lie retreated to the 
cotton bale again. The sentry stole through the shadows 
and brought the nodding corporal of the guard to his feet 
with a fierce hiss-ss-s ! The man behind the cotton bale 
heard the click of the corporal's rifle and sank down be- 
hind the bale and out of sight. A few words of explana- 
tion to the corporal aroused that officer's interest, and he 
in turn aroused the Sergeant of the guard. Two or three 
men were placed about the deck at favorite points, and 
the Sergeant took a seat on a camp chest mentally resolv- 
ing to capture the bold marauder or perish at his post. 
Silence had reigned for about twenty minutes when the 
figure crept quietly out from behind the cotten bale and 
started towards the bow of the boat evidently intending 
to climb up the sides. He slipped as he made the attempt 
and rolled down on the levee. Then he got up and evi- 
dently intending to end the matter, made straight for the 
gangway and on tip toe passed to the main deck. With 
a half suppressed chuckle at his success he was just about 
ascending the stairway when he was seized by four men 
who came out of the gloom, and in a moment was on his 



74 

back, struggle as he might. A large piece of dark paper 
muslin enveloped his head and body. It was the work 
of a moment to imwind this and disclose the uniform of 
the regiment and a well known face. 

"Well I'md — d" said the Sergeant, supremely disgusted. 

"So am I " meekly answered the prisoner, who by this 
time had recovered his breath. 

" Where is your pass ?" 

" Haven't got any." 

" Good night and pleasant dreams " added the Sergeant, 
as the door closed on the luckless private. 

It was only about twenty minutes after this that the 
same sentry heard a quick step approaching the gangway. 
A private hurried up much out of breath. There was no 
pause this time. 

" Halt there " was the order. 

" Oh don't stop me. I have a very important message 
lor the officer of the day and must deliver it at once." 

" Vou can wait a moment I think, until I call the Ser- 
geant. Please do," said the sentry, bringing his bayonet 
down to within an inch and a quarter of the soldier's but- 
tons. The Sergeant came and was su impressed with the 
man's earnestness that he took him to the Lieutenant ()f 
the Guard. The latter sent him to the cabin of the officer 
of the day, who had just turned in. 

"What do you want" roared that official from the in- 
side. 

"There is a man here sir, who says he has a message 
for you — an important message." > 



75 

"Who is it from ?" 

"He says from the Mayor, sir." 

Of course the officer arose and opened the door, think- 
ing what on earth the ^laA'or of New Orleans meant by 
sending a message at that time of night. With a sakite 
the Sergeant explained the matter and the prisoner hand- 
ed a note. It read as follows : 

ST, CHARLES HOTEL, 
Sunday Night. 
To THE Officfr of the Day, 

Seventy-first Regiment. 

Please excuse Private , of your Regiment, for overstaying his 

pass. He was with me all evening and I have detained him against his 
will to assist me in arranging some details of to-morrow's procession. 
Yours truly, 

JAMES SHAKESPEARE, 

Mayor of New Orleans. 

Unfortunately for the messenger, the officer of the day 
happened to know that, in the first place, the Mayor had 
nothing to do with arranging the procession, and in the 
second place, that His Honor's name was Joseph and not 
James. So the doors of the dungeon opened again and 
the much humbugged Sergeant took great pleasure in 
personally attending to the opening. The man was known 
afterwards as the "Assistant Mayor." 
«^ While the guard house is under consideration there 
might as well be related another incident. The officers 
of the battalion took with them to New Orleans several 
colored servants. Commissary Hess had one named Jep, 
who worked in the Commissary's car while on the road 



76 

and waited on that officer when in the city. Jep was a 
great, strapping fellow^ good natured and obliging. It 
was on Wednesday evening that he permitted himself to 
become more or less hilarious. About nine o'clock he 
came on board and went directly to his master's cabin 
where, of course, he had access at all times. After staying 
in there for some time he w^ent out on the upper deck and 
watched the twinkling lights of the city. Then he thought 
of the dusky belles w^hose eyes twinkled just as brightly. 
Sinking into a chair he dreamed that, instead of being 
what he was, he suddenly became transformed into an 
officer. On his shoulders were the heavy epaulets, at his 
side the shining sword and from his shako nodded the 
white plumes of authority. He saw himself among the 
colored girls — the lion of the evening, petted and feasted 
and admired above all his comrades. He awoke with a 
start to find himself chillv in the night air and the same 
old Jep with the same private's uniform on his back. His 
dream affected him and, as he went slowly into the cabin, 
he formed an idea. Of course it took Jep some time to form 
an idea in its entirety, but with hard work and deter- 
mination he succeeded. He went into Commissary Hess's 
cabin and taking out tliat officer's uniform, laid it on the 
bed. On the breast of the coat sparkled the decoration 
of the King, the gold and buttons seemed brighter to Jep 
than they ever had before. Why could he not be an offi- 
cer ? There were the materials of which officers were 
made. He had nothing to do but make himself into one, 




AMBITIOUS "lEP." 



77 

slip past the sentinels and cry havoc with the hearts of the 
girls who would recognize at once that he was now in his 
proper sphere. Laboriously Jep put on the uniform, 
girded on the sword and looked out. The saloon was de- 
serted save by a few who nodded Away he went, down 
the length of the room, past the dozing corporal of the 
guard and out on the deck. As he turned to go down, his 
arm struck a projecting piece of wood work and the rattle 
of the sword attracted the attention of the sentry on the 
stairs who stood ''at attention" asthe ''officer" went by. Jep 
turned his head and the whites of his eyes gleamed on the 
startled soldier who, knowing that the Govenor had been 
figuratively raising the deuce with other regiments, in- 
stantly surmised that he had raised his satanic majesty in 
proper person and commisisoned him in the Seventy-first ! 
The alarm was given and Jep was secured — not without 
a struggle however — the uniform stripped from him and 
he safely stowed in the lockup. There he sat — his hopes 
blasted, his spirits crushed — head in hands, with the tears 
insinuating themselves between his fingers, a picture of 
misery. When Commissary Hess came on board the case 
was presented to him, and, with his great good nature, he 
urged Jep's release and forgiveness. 



CHAPTER X 



ACROSS THE CHASM. 

"By the flow of the inland river 
Whence the fleets of iron have fle 1, 
Where the blades of green grass quiver, 
Asleep are the ranks of the dead ; 
Under the sod and the dew 
Waiting the judgement day, 
Love and tears for the blue. 
Tears and love for the gray." 

— Finch. 

No one seemed to know justwho suggested the idea of a 
salute to the Confederate dead. It was an inspiration 
born of a desire to do something in return for the kind- 
nesses heaped upon the party by the living soldiers of the 
South. The Battalion could do nothing for them, but it 
could honor their dead with a soldier's salute. It was in 



79 
harmony, too, with the course of the Seventy-first. Among 
the first at the initial battle of twenty years ago and the 
last to leave the field, where its dead Were lying beside those 
of Louisiana regiments, it was the first to give a soldier's 
greeting to the soldier dead. When it was announced to 
the command that they were to march to Greenwood 
Cemetery and fire a salute, the men were anxious to start 
at once. There was a unanimous approval of the idea. 
They felt that it was not an expedition ordered by the 
officers and obeyed by the men because they were sol- 
diers. It was an expedition in which every man felt a 
personal interest— a genuine satisfaction. A firing party 
of fifty were ordered to prepare. Major E. A. McAlpin 
and two Captains commanded, while the Colonel, other 
line officers and the staff accompanied the detachment as 
lookers on. The New Orleans City Railroad had placed 
a number of cars drawn by a dummy at the Battalion's 
disposal and the men wxre taken to the cemetery gates. =^ 
Greenwood is a peculiar looking cemetery at first glance. 
The graves are all raised above ground and are really 
tombs. This is necessary on account of the nature of the 
soil. Dig down anywhere for three or four feet and wa- 
ter is found. Obviously, then, the dead must be placed 
above ground, not in it. The gateway and approaches 
to the cemetery were crow^ded with ladies and gentlemen. 
The line was formed and, with the band playing a funeral 
march, at reverse arms the men went slowly in and around 
the Confederate monument. A halt was ordered and the 
♦Appendix K. 



So 

rifles loaded. Amid an impressive silence the officers 
uncovered, the people crowded about, and Dr. Martyn, 
the chaplain, stepped forward. 

"Stoop angels, hither from the skies ! 

There is no holier spot of ground 

Than where defeated valor lies, 

By honoring brothers crowned." 

Dr. Martyn spoke : "A famous German theologian once 
said : ' Thank God for sin ! ' Not that there is an3^thing 
in sin to be thankful for, but it is the occasion for a 
display of the divine character impossible w^ithout it 
because unnecessary. Thank God lor the war ! War is 
an unmixed evil. But God is bringing out of it a better 
mutual understanding and a truer brotherhood. Twenty 
years ago the North and South fatally misunderstood each 
other. The North pictured the South as Bombastes Fm-ioso. 
The South looked at the North as a Connecticut peddler. 
The North believed the South w^ouldn't fight. The South 
thought the North couldn't. The battle fiags were un- 
furled. The swords were rough ground. The guns were 
loaded. The thunder of cannon shook the continent. 
The world stood aghast. The old misconception disap- 
peared in the smoke of a hundred battle fields. It was 
mutually discovered that the spirit of '76, of Sumpterand 
Marion, of Schuyler and Greene, animated their descend- 
ants. The hostile sections were awed into a wholesome 
respect for each others' heroism and self-sacrifice. The old 
Romans placed the gods of the various principalities in- 
corporated in the empire in their Pantheon — each had 



Hi 

his niche. In the Pantheon of American patriotism and 
honor time shall set Grant and Lee, Jackson and Slier- 
man ; while the shadowy host, heroic as the English 
Sidney, chivalric as the French Bayard, who poured <nil 
life, on the one side for the National idea, on the other 
for the 'Lost Cause,' open their lips of dust to sing the 
angelic overture : Glory to God in the highest, on earth 
peace, good will towards men. As a foretoken of that 
coming day, nay, as a help towards its inauguration, we 
salute these graves. Over the chasm filled with, blood, 
tilled with tears, filled w4tli bitter, burning memories, we 
extend the hand of national fraternity, and lock palms with 
our brothers of the South in eternal friendship." 

Major McAlpin's voice was low and solemn as thecoma 
mands "ready ! aim ! fire ! " issued from his lips. Three 
times the guns rang out and the smoke curled about the 
monument. The birds twittered wildly and fiew in great 
circles overhead. It was a small tribute, but the shades 
^of the departed seemed to smile proudly down through 
the smoke on the boys in blue. Many eyes were moist- 
ened as the Battalion marched to the cars again through 
lines of men and women who silently bowed their heads. 
Verily there was 

" Love and tears for the 1)1 uc, 
Tears and love for the gray."' 

There was another scene while the Battalion was in the 
Crescent City that, while of a far different nature, was 
equally impressive. It occured at the Grand Opera House 



82 

on the day of the arrival of the Kine^. The salute to the 
dead was a tribute of the North to the Soutli ; the cere- 
monies at the Opera House were a tribute from the South 
to the North. It was after the parade on that Monday^ 
.'d ready described, that the Battalion was marclied in a 
body to the doors of the great theatre. About them stood 
members of the Royal Host in full evening dress, the in- 
signia of their office glistening on their breasts. It w^ould 
be useless to give any of their names. They were the 
leading men of the South, while here nnd there were seen 
officers of the Navy and other officials of the United States 
Government. The body of the house was crowded with 
the fairest women and most notable men. On the stage 
were grouped, Govenors, legislators judges, lawyers, 
clergymen, bankers, merchants, officers of the United 
States Army and Navy — in fact the representative men 
(jf every walk of life.' On a throne in the rear sat the 
Carnival King, while about him were grouped the Dukes 
of the Roval Host. The Battalion was marched in and. 
(jccupied the first balcony. The remainder of the house 
was packed with ladies and gentlemen. It was a peculiar 
scene. Certainly nothing has been seen like it since the 
war. On the stage were ex-generals and officials of the 
Confederacy mingling with ex-officers of the Federal army 
and officers of the active army and navy. Side by side 
stood the brotlier of Admiral Semmes, of the Alabama, 
with the Commander of the U. S. S. Kearsage. Was it 
possible that these men forgot that the Kearsage had sunk 



the Alabama but a few years ago ^ Was it pcjssible tliat 
the thunder of the Kearsage'sguns in welcoming the King 
-_the same tone that rang in Semme's ears as his well- 
fought Alabama sank beneath him— did not recall the 
memories of the past ? Perhaps they had forgotten it ; 
surely they had forgiven it, for in every action that day — 
in every word— those men and women gathered to do 
honor to a Northern regiment--breathed but one hope : 
that the past might be hidden by the weal of the present 
and the golden promises of the future. 

Duke Albertus, of Massasoit, (Mr. Albert Baldwin) ad- 
dressing the King, spoke as follows : 

Most Potent Monarch ! with feelings of unalloyed love 
and veneration we greet your presence once more in this 
your chosen Capital. You have heard at your landing 
the roar of our friendly artilery, along the thoroughfares 
through wdiich you have passed the glad hazzas of a de- 
lighted people, and you see gathered around you the wise 
men and fair daughters of our city— representations of 
her wisdom, her wealth, her chivalry and her beauty, all 
demonstrations of the earnestness with wdiich our hearts 
go out to you and the faith which we plight to your house. 
Here, too, are the gallant soldiers from a distant quarter 
of your realm come to assist us in your welcome and to 
add to the glory and renown of your reign. Few gov- 
■ ernments that have ever existed in this world can claim 
the same willing obedience, the active co-operation and 
a like wild, enthusiastic love as greets Your Majesty at 



84 

cvcrv step of your tnuniphant progress. Yoiir's is the 
province to clieer; yours a mission (jf pleasure; your's 
the power to hgliten the burdens of every day life and 
banisli sorrow and care from tlie heart. No wonder then^ 
that your people join with one accord in demonstrations of 
jov at vour presence in their midst. May it ever be thus, 
and, as the years roll away, when you annually return to 
celebrate with us your cherished fete day, may the page- 
ants in vour honor each eclipse its predecessor in elegance 
and beauty. 

On behalf of the King, '^Bathurst, Lord High Chamber- 
Iain," (Hon. George H. Braughn,) responded with rare 
eloquence, saying in the course of his address : We con- 
gratulate you upon the peace and quiet that reigns within 
your borders ; that, strife and turmoil having entirely 
ceased, you are indeed a free and happy people. We con- 
gratulate you upon the presence (jf the magnificent mil- 
itary command that has come from the distant North to 
shake hands in peace with their comrades in arms in the 
far South, thereby binding and riveting together the feel- 
ings and the interests of distant, but yet closely alliefl 
sister States. We regard the vistation of these Northern 
soldiers as the brightest and stnjngest (jmen that peace 
reigns indeed tliroughout this land and that the Union 
of the great American States will now be eternal ! 

The Duke of Chesapeake (Thomas J. Semmes,) then 
came forward 'bearing the banner'* and spoke as follows : 

Soldiers of the Seventy-first Regiment: In obedience 
♦.Appendix C. 



S5 
to the command of my most puissant King, I am here 
to declare his pleasure. Appreciating the fact that 
you have come from the distant Northern metropolis 
to unite with thousands in doing him hcmor and acknow- 
ledging his sovereignty, my King has been pleased, as a 
mark of special favor and esteem, to present to you his 
royal colors— the imperial purple, the cloth of gold, the 
unfading green— emblematic of his. rank, his power and 
his everlasting reign. This spectacle has no equal in the 
annals of America; indeed, no troops have been thus 
honored by my august master. You, soldiers of the 
Seventy-first Regiment, receive this standard from a king 
whose illustrious descent can be traced through a long 
line of ancestors until it reaches the Tarquinian kings 
and there fades away in the dim twilight of the Roman 
Saturnalia. The reign of this King has not been inter- 
rupted by the rise or fall of nations, empires or peoples. 
Wars, revolutions, intestine conflicts have unseated the 
deified Csesars, dethroned the descendants of Charlemagne, 
discrowned kings and emperors and overturned republics ; 
but the sway of the King of the Carnival over his happy 
subjects has received no check, for his reign is based on 
the ceaseless aspirations of the human heart for human 
love and human happiness. The King of the Carnival is 
the king of humanity. This banner, therefore, is given 
you as a souvenir exclusively devoted to pleasure ; it is no 
battle Hag ; its use is to be confined to the promotion of 
the happiness of man ; it is not destined to the tatters of 



86 

victory or of glory ; it is not to be stained with tlie blood 
of men or the tears of women and children ; it is emblem- 
atic of peace and good will, and, therefore, it is to be un- 
furled onlvto receive the pure, gentle, peaceful, perfumed 
bieezes like those which in Paradise 

" O'er the four rivc-rs llit; firsl waters b'ew." 

That this flag will ever be devoted to peaceful uses is 
evinced by the interchange of lujspitalities between those 
heretofore engaged in deadly conflict ; by the reverence 
expressed for the illustrious dead, and the respect paid 
the distinguished living, regardless of political (opinions ; 
by the national yearning for more intiniate intercourse, 
which the great city of New York is so activelv engaged 
in satisfying ; by the unexpected display of resources and 
wealth producing energy in the Southern States attested 
])y the census reports and by the marvelous manifesta- 
tion of the happy condition of the colored people of the 
South, which their extraordinary increase proclaims in 
terms not to be contradicted. 

Long ago the steel rail connecting N(jrth and Soutli 
has ceased to be a military road for the transportation of 
troops and the telegraphic wire to be the organ for the 
transmission of hostile commands ; the rail is to us now 
only a ribbon of steel, along which flows the electric cur- 
rent of friendship for those who, we believe, we have 
learned to know and esteem. 

Bear, then, this banner home and tell your people that 
it is the emblem of peace and good will, and with it the 



87 
King of the Carnival lias sent his royal command that 
hereafter all the citizens of this great nation shall be 
united and constitute one family, bound together by the 
indissoluble ties of friendship and patriotism 

Adjutant Frank H. Jordan went forward and took the 
staff. It was a trying moment for Colonel Vose — trying 
because it was unexpected. Every eye in the vast audi- 
ence was turned towards him and there was an intense 
quiet. His position was more than ordinarily responsi- 
ble. The least word wrongly applied might have marred 
a ceremonv that up to this time was in perfect harmony. 
It was evident that the emc^tion of the audience had been 
gradually welling up during the eloquent addresses that 
had been given. It was the Colonel's opportunity to cap 
the climax and none felt the responsibility more than 
himself. Manv of his own officers, in keen appreciation 
of the affair, mcjved uneasily, but the Colonel rose to 
the gravitv of the situati(m. From the moment he com- 
menced speaking there was a profound hush, broken 
now and again towards the chjse by a sob. When he 
had ceased the applause took the form of a subdued mur- 
mer tliat gradually gathered in force until the very chan- 
deliers jingled and the standards trembled with the rush 
(jf cheers. It was more than a pity that some one did not 
put in writing the words of that address. He said in 
substance that the Seventy-first had little expected 
such honors thrust upon it. They had come to New Or- 
leans to grasp the hand of friendship, nothing more. 



m 

They liad iiiidertiiken a long and fatiguing Joiirnev, to 
visit the beautiful citv. It was not a small undertaking 
to bring so many men so long a distance and tiiey did 
not come for the sake of the hospitalities that were to be 
shown them, but to tell their brothers of the South how 
much they esteemed them and loved them, how they 
had never ceased to esteem them, how, even when duty 
called them to array themselves in the field, tliey went 
forward to the task in fearand trembling to shed a brother's 
blood and with saddened hearts. But thank God ! the 
dead past is forgotten in the joy of tlie present, and when 
in the future there was fighting to be done, they would 
be found shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers of the 
South — brothers in fact as in theory. He accepted the 
beautifid emblem from His Majesty for the Seventy-first 
and it should be sacredly preserved as a memento of the 
visit and of the honor conferred upon the regiment. It 
would surprise the people in the North to learn of the 
magnificent reception their representative soldiers were 
having in the far South and their hearts would go out 
towards those of their Southern brothers in recognition. 
They w^ould regard the banner as a proclamation from 
the King of the Carnival commanding that henceforth 
peace shoidd reign throughout the great land. 



CHAPTER XI 



NEW ORLEANS PLEASURES. 

And the night shall be filled with music, 
And the cares that infest the day 
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs 
And as silently steal away. 

—Loiigfelloxu. 

The Mardi Gras balls were numerous and magnificent. 
Invitations were sent to all of the officers and men and 
in many instances they were notified that the uniform 
was the only requirement for admission. It is safe to 
say that every man of the Battalion attended at least one 
ball on Tuesday night. The ball of the King was held 
in the Carnival Palace, an enormous permanent building. 
The ball-rooms, there are several, are so arranged that 
they may be all practically thrown into one. This was 
necessary, for it is said that there Avere fully twenty thou- 



90 

sand ladies and gentlemen present during the evening. 
The crush was terrible at first, but after an hour or so the 
merry dancers had learned to jostle each other with be- 
coming propriety and good nature. When the King ar- 
rived, accompanied by the Queen, (who, by the way, was 
the representative of one of the most distinguished fam- 
ilies of Louisiana) a passage was cleared and the royal 
party, followed by a brilliant staff, after passing around 
the ball rooms, retired to an elegant audience chamber 
where favored subjects were presented to their Majesties 
and drank champagne provided from His Majesty's privy 
purse. There were three or four bands of music at the 
ball — the principal being that of the Seventy-first — Joyce 
and his forty merry fellows. There were no masks worn 
at the King's ball, but the costumes were varied and the 
scene a wonderfully brilliant one. There joy was un- 
confined — 

' ' No sleep till morn when youth and pleasure meet, 
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet." 

There was another ball that night that, amid all the 
scenes of beauty and revelry, was supreme. It was that 
of the "Misticke Crewe." For years this has been the 
annual gathering of the creine de la creme of the South. 
It compares with our Charity Ball at home in the care 
with which invitations are given, in the selectness of its per- 
sonality. It exceeds it in the beauty of its arrangement 
and in the congregation of fair women, for it has more 
than a local reputation and the beauties of many States 



are added to its rosebud garden of girls. The French 
Opera House is something like our Academy, both in 
size and general appearance, the dancing floor is simi- 
larly prepared, while the arrangement of boxes and first 
balcony is almost exactly like that of the Academy. 
The public is excluded from the dancing floor at first 
and the Misticke Krewe, in extraordinary costumes, go 
through a performance of their own. During this time 
no gentlemen are permitted to enter the boxes or occupy 
a seat on the first balcony. Every seat is occupied by a 
lady. The result is a scene of marvelous beauty. The 
music of the orchestra is hushed into softness by the 
fluttering of countless fans and the nodding of plumes 
on stately heads. The balcony is a bower of flowers 
clad in the beauty of a thousand stars. At a signal the 
spell is broken, the great host mingles in the dance and 
it is many hours before the Lord of Comus gives 
"To all, to each a fair good-night, 
And pleasant dreams and slumbers light." 

On Thursday morning a card was issued to the ladies 
of New Orleans inviting them to a promenade concert on 
board the Lee. The ladies had done so much for the 
Battalion, had shown them so much kind consideration, 
that the officers and men were quite at their wits end in 
devising something in recognition. It was first thought 
that a soiree dansante would be a pleasant thing but that 
idea was abandoned in favor of a promenade concert be- 
cause of the limited room on the Lee. The tickets were 



92 

distributed at the prominent city clubs and hotels and 
among representative business men. They were used 
simply as a means of contnjlling in a measure the attend- 
ance and were entirely complimentary. 
The ticket read like this: 



RECEPTION AND PROMENADE CONCERT 

TENDERED THE 

LADIES OF NEW ORLEANS, 

BY THE 

©fttcevs anil Ittnnbcvs of tijc Scbcnti'=fi'ist KrU) ¥oiii 

Knfantvi), 

On Board Steamfr Robert E. Le^?, 

Thursday Evening, Ma7'ch -^d, 

Fr»m 2 until 4 o'clock. 
ADMIT GENTLEMAN AND F.ADIES 



The Concert was a success in every way. The band 
took a position in the centre of the saloon and chairs 
were placed as close together as possible from one end 
of the boat to the other. The attendance was simply 
enormous and included the elite of those gathered to 
witness the Carnival festivities as well as residents of the 
Crescent City. There were scores of men and women 
present whose names were familiar at every Southern 
fire-side — distinguished in politics, literature, arts, pro- 
fessions and in society. It was a grand compliment to 
the Northern regiment — an unprecedented compliment 
to any organization and appreciated as such. After the 
concert the ladies took considerable pleasiu'e in examin- 
ing the quarters of the men. Each overcoat and knap- 
sack was in place and the cabins in perfect order. When 



93 

the Governors of Louisana and Kentucky and prominent 
Southern generals — and there were not a few of them — 
arrived, the guard was turned out and all military honors 
paid. General Beauregard of course was a marked fig- 
ure and when he entered the saloon and was ushered to 
the upper end, where Colonel Vose received the promi- 
nent guests, there was a perfect storm of applause. The 
men cheered and the ladies clapped their hands and waved 
their dainty handkerchiefs. Beauregard smiled and 
bowed again and again in response. Some one said 
something about Bull Run and an old veteran of the 
Seventy-first jumped to his feet and shouted across the 
room to the General : 

''I was there in sixty-one General." 

Beaiu'egard smiled again and held out his hand, which 
the "vet" enthusiasticall}^ clasped. Some of the men in- 
duced the General to sit down at a table and write his 
name on cards and he worked patiently for half an hour. 
By that time everybody wanted one and he promised to 
send a number of autographs to New York later, which 
promise he faithfully kept. 

This affair and the serenade to the ladies at the St. 
Charles Hotel were very great social successes and re- 
dounded to both the credit of the regiment and the band. 
The latter did particularly well at the serenade. The 
front of the honse was brilliantly illuminated and the 
balconies thronged with ladies and gentlemen. The 
evening air was so balmy that no one thought of wraps. 



94 

The doors and windows were all open and one passed 
freely in and out. It was like an August night at home, 

"^All is gentle; nanght 
Stirs rudely; but, congenial with the night. 
Whatever walks i& gliding like a spirit." 

This perfect weather came straight from Araby the 
Blest and did not vary during the Battalion's stay. No 
travellers were ever more fortunate in the matter of 
weather or in any other way for the matter of that. The 
evenings were so delightfiil that they were often spent 
sitting in some private garden, bareheaded and in the 
lightest possible clothing, the aroma of the cigars 
mingling with the perfumes of the flowers and shrubs, or, 
on the deck of the Robert E. Lee, watching the puffing 
monsters splashing their stern wheels in the silvery 
moon-tinted w^aters of the river. When the men w^ere 
wandering about the city very many of them were seized 
upon by kind hearted citizens, made the heroes of home 
circles and sent back to quarters loaded with favors of 
all kinds. Many a quiet, unpretentious citizen opened 
his heart and house in honor of the blue uniform. 
"Therein, he them full fair did entertain, 
Not with such forged shows as fitter been 
For courting fools, that courtesies would fain 
But with entire affection and appearance plain." 



CHAPTER XIL 



A TRIUMPHANT RETURN. 



^'Farewell! a word that must be and hath been — 
A sound which makes us Hnger; -yet farewell.' 



"'Tis sweet to know there is an eye will mark 
^ Our coming, and look brighter when we come." 

Byyon. 

On Friday morning early, the resounding rat tat of the 
drums aroused the dreaming soldier, and with first con- 
sciousness came the thought that in an hour or so the 
merry City was to be left behind — perhaps for ever. It 
was not a pleasant thotight in some respects for many had 



96 

learned to like the ways of the dolce far iiienfe life they 
had been leading, and again, it was a pleasant thought, 
for were they not returning home to the frost and the 
snow, the crowded streets and the busy marts of the me- 
tropolis? To the loved ones they had almost forgotten amid 
the smiles and favors of the fair ones of the South ? Many 
a heart beat anxiously as the moment of departure came 
and regretted that more letters had not been written and 
sent North. Epistolary efforts had been few and feeble ; 
every one was "so busy you know" and they would be 
"so soon back." Telegrams like this took the place of 
letters : 

New Orleans, February 27th, 1881. 
Mrs. John Smith, 

New York City. 

Read the newspapers. Too busy to write. Charming 
weather here. John Smith. 

10 Paid. 

They were not all answered like this however : 

New York City, February 28. 
Mr. John Smith, 

Seventy-first Infantry, 

New Orleans. 
Thanks, will do as you suggest. Weather here very 
cold but city very gay indeed. Charming socials nightly. Telegraph 
sure when coming home or might be out. Too busy to write. Au 
Revoir. Mrs. John Smith. 

33 Collect. 

When the Battalion marched out of the boat and away 
towards the cars, it was with ajoyousness tempered with 
a certain sadness at leaving so pleasant quarters. The 



97 
officers of the Lee dipped the flags and jingled the 
great bell on the upper deck, while the whistles of the tugs 
and steamers in the vicinity set up a roar that drowned out 
everything except the echoes sent back by the great cotton 
warehouses flanking the Levee. Early as it was, the streets 
through which the Battalion marched, were not deserted. 
The rattle of the drums and the bursts of melody from 
the band foretold their coming and the men were greeted 
on every corner by citizens, who, in rising at such an hour 
to honor their parting guests, paid them more than an 
empty compliment. From many a laticed casement fair 
rounded arms waved salutes and from many a door step 
come a hearty wish of hon voyage! The Washington Artil- 
lery were drawn up about the depot, and their pieces were 
bright and shining under the morning sun. Adieus were 
said, hands clasped for the twentieth time, and the train 
moved slowly off, the cannons booming a last farewell ! 

The route was a familiar one, and the party spent the 
first hour or so in settling themselves comfortably, rather 
than looking at the panorama of the Mississippi that un- 
folded itself as they passed northward. Hammond, the 
scene of the first reception was soon reached, and the fa- 
miliar faces about the station welcomed as old friends. 
The men left the train and thoroughly enjoyed the half 
hour spent in the pretty little hamlet of which they had 
such pleasant memories. The darkies, as usual, flocked 
about the cars and asked many questions. One little fel- 
low sided up to Dr. Bryant and said : 



98 

*' Golly, how many is dey ob you'ns ? " 

'' Quite a good many, don't you think so ? " responded 
the Doctor with a smile. 

'' Dey muss miss you up Norf mighty. Reckon dey 
muss miss you suah ! " 

Some poor fellow who wanted to go North, had found 
an overcoat and cap in New Orleans where they had been 
left by some careless member of the detachment. After 
the special train had left, he put on the coat and hat and 
went to Mr. Coleman the General Passenger Agent of 
the Jackson route, to whom he said he was a member of 
the regiment and wanted to be sent on by the regular 
passenger train which followed the Special about an hour. 
A despatch was sent to those on the Special train inform- 
ing them that one of the party had been left behind. An 
immediate and very thorough counting of noses, showed 
that the man was an imposter, and word to that effect was 
sent to New Orleans by telegraph. It is hardly necessary 
to say that he did not come North on the passenger train. 

The train rumbled on through Louisiana, Tennessee, 
Mississippi and Kentucky and flowers and smiles awaited 
it at every station. Invitations came by telegraph from 
all sides. Grenada wanted the party to dine, but, unfor- 
tunately the invitation was not received until after the 
Battalion had reached New York, unintentionally delayed 
by some gentlemen in New Orleans. Everywhere along 
the route, congratulations were showered on the party. 
At dusk, the budding foliage of the South was fast fading 



99 

away, and it was growing colder hour by hour. In the 

morning the men awoke, to find ice and snow in Illinois. 

"Now no plumed throng 
Charms the wood with song ; 
Ice bound trees are glittering, 
Merry snow birds twittering 

Fondly strive to cheer 

Scenes so cold and drear." 

The men were fortified for the night by a good supper 
at Vincennes, Indiana, given by Mr. C. S. Cone, Jr., repre- 
senting the Ohio and Mississippi railroad. They were 
very tired when night came, and slept well, for 

"Weariness 
Can snore upon the flint, when restive sloth 
Finds the down pillow hard." 

Cincinnati was reached about midnight. Everything 
was quiet and cars were changed in the same depot. The 
men were soon asleep again and the train rattled on to 
Grafton, West Virginia, where a warm breakfast waited. 
Then the party prepared to view the AUeghanies over 
which they had had so terrible a ride on the memorable 
"first night out." The scenery was superb as vista after 
vista unfolded itself to the delighted travellers. They 
reached the foot — 

♦ "Of the crown'd Alleghany, when he wrapped 

His purple mantle gloriously around 
And took the homage of the princely hills. 
And then in glorious pomp, the sun retired 
Behind that solemn shadow. And his train 
Of crimson and of azure and of gold 
Went floating up the zenith, tint on tint, 
And ray on ray, 'till all the concave caught 
His parting benediction." 



lOO 

On the summit the Cleveland Greys returning from 
the inauguration of the President to whom they had acted 
as a body guard, were met and the two organizations 
saluted each other and exchanged news. It was Sunday, 
and the Chaplain determined that the fact should not be 
forgotten. So it was decided thit at Cumberland, Mary- 
land, where the Battalion was to be dined by the Balti- 
more and Ohio Railroad, a service should be held. The 
dinner at Cumberland was considered one of the pleasant- 
est features of the return. The large hotel there has a 
very spacious dining room and magnificent piazzas ex- 
tending the full length of the house. The men were 
marched into the dining room and seated at tables that 
seemed particularly inviting after the long ride. Mean- 
while the piazzas were thronged with ladies and gentlemen 
and from the moment of arrival the crowd increased 
steadily. The dinner was a good one and presided over 
by Messrs. Lord and Superintendent Spencer of the Rail- 
road Company, who made complimentary speeches and 
drank in flowing bumpers the health of the Battalion. 
Immediately after dinner, service was announced, and as 
many of the Cumberlanders wanted to participate, it was 
decided that the dining room was probably the best place 
in which to hold it. So the doors were opened and the 
people came in and mingled with the boys in blue. It 
was a curious scene. The chaplain stood at one end ol 
the room. Behind him were a few officers, in front of him 
the band acting as choir, behind the band was the con- 



^regation proper, while all about were the tables covered 
with dishes and the remains of the dinner. The "choir" 
played the music of the Sweet Bye and Bye and the vast 
audience sang the words. Then, Dr. Martin read the 136th 
Psalm and prayed for the welfare of the detachment, giv- 
ing thanks for the past, and trusting in the "Giver of all 
good" for the future. In his sermon the Chaplain took 
for his text: "Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowl- 
edge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance 
godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to 
brotherly kindness charity." Dr. Martin probably never 
had so curious an audience, but he grasped the situation 
thoroughly and made a success of what with many men, 
would have been a failure. It was no slight task to in- 
terest such an audience and keep them interested, but the 
Chaplain did it. 

" No notes were there : 
No, not a scrap. All was intuitive 
Pouring like water from a flashing fountain 
With current unexhausted." 

He emphasized each of the words of the text as a con- 
stituent element of true manhood. The sermon was ex- 
ceedingly practical, and continuous applications were 
made to the circumstances in which the command found 
itself. Faith he defined as the power to apprehend the 
unseen. Virtue meant manliness, and the importance of 
this element was dwelt on especially in the military con- 
nection. Knowledge in a republican country was the 
keystone of the arch. The old theory was that the peo- 



I02 

pie were born saddled and bridled, to be ridden by rulers 
booted and spurred to ride. Our theory is government 
of, from and by the people. When Russia educates she 
does it from benevolence ; we educate from necessity. 
Intelligence is the only possible basis of republicanism. 
No man wants to hold his property at the will of a mob 
like that of Athens, or his life on the verdict of a 
Neapolitan jury. Temperance was defined as meaning 
self-control. If this quality was wholly wanting man 
would be as much worse than the tiger as his capacity for 
mischief was greater — a human infernal machine. God- 
liness meant reverence. If there was a God, a creator of 
nature and man, then it must be seemly to stand toward 
Him in a reverential attitude. Brotherly kindness was 
referred to as having been exemplified in the behavior of 
the men toward each other during the trip and by the 
hearty reception accorded them en route and in the South. 
The last quality spoken of as essential to a noble charac- 
ter was charity or love. This was explained as meaning 
the fulfilling of all the relationships of life in a spirit of 
good will toward men. 

When he finished speaking that grand old tune '^Am- 
erica" was played and the chorus rang out from a thous- 
and throats. 

When the tired soldiers opened their eyes the next day 
the waters of the Hudson were rustling at their feet, and 
the spires and towers of the metropolis were beconing a 
welcome through the mists of the morning. Once across 



I03 

the river, the scenes recalled war times when the regi- 
ments were temporarily returning from the front. The 
down town streets were literally packed with people, and 
the Battalion was forced to take the sidewalk as far as 
Broadway. The march to the a.rmory was a march of 
triumph. Smiles and cheers awaited the men on every 
corner. Flags were flying from houses and window^s. 
The great heart of the metropolis beat in unison with the 
cadenced step of the returning invaders, for '* Peace hath 
her victories, no less renowned than war." 



THE END, 



APPENDIX. 

A. 



O r F I Cl A L RECOGNITION 



In order .to reach New Orleans from New York by land, it was 
fiecessary to pass through a number of states. FoUowhig are the replies 
sent in response to the official request for permission to pass and repass 
with arms ; 

State of New Jt^rsey, 
Office of Adjutant Geneijal, 

Trenton, February ist. iS8i. 
Gen'I, FrI'DERICK Towmseni), 

Ailjiitant (jeneral of New York, 
Albany, N. Y. 
Ceneral: 

I am directed by his Excellency, Governor George C. Eudlow, to 
inform you that permission is granted a detachment of the Seventy-First 
Kegiment, National Guard of New York, to pass through the State of New 
Jersey, armed and e gripped, en-route to and return from New Orleans, La. 
l)et\veen the 2lst of Feijruary, and 6th of March, iSSi. 

Respectfully, 
[Signed] WILLIAM s! STRYKER, 

Adjutant General of Xetv Jersey. 



comm'^nwealth of pennsylvania,. 
Adjui'ant General's Office, 

llARRisiiURG, February 1st, i88r. 
Major Gen'l Fredeuick Townsend,. 
Adjutant General of New York^ 
Albany, N, Y, 
General: 

Permission is hereby granted a detachment of the Seventy-First 
Regiment, National Guard, State of New York, to enter and pass through 
the State of Pennsylvania, armed and equii)ped, when en-route to New. 
Orleans, La., between February 2ist and March 6th, 1881. 

By Command of Henry M. Hoyt, 
Governor and Commander-in-Chief. 
[Signed] JAMES W. LATTA, 

Adjutant GeneraL 



Spate of Maryland, 
Adjutant Generai/s Office, 
Annapolis, February ist, 18S1. 
Special Orders > 
No. 6. S 

Permission is hereby granted to the Seventy-First Regiment, Na- 
tional Guard, State of New York, to pass through Maryland, armed and 
equipped, between February 21st and March 6th, 1S81. 

By order of the 
Governor and Commander-in-Chief, 
[Signed] J. WESLEY WATKINS, 

Adjutant General. 



State of Delawarf, 
Office of Adjutant Generat. 
Wilmington, Del., February ist, 1881. 
Major (^en'l F. Townsend, 

Adjutant General of New York, 
Sir: 

Yours of 29th ult. duly received, and your request "that permis- 
sion be granted a detachment of the Seventy- First Regiment, National 
Guard of the State of New York, to pass through the State of Delaware 
armed and equipped, en-route to and returning from New Orleans, La. , 
between the 21st of February and the 6th of March, is hereby granted. 

Very resjiectfullv yours, 
[Signed] J. PAKRE POSTLES, 

Adjutant General 0/ Delaivare. 



State of Wkst Virginia, 
Office of Adjutant Genkrat., 
Wheeling, February 3d, iSSi. 
Adjutant General of New York, 

Albany, N. Y. 
General: 

In reply to yours of the 29th, asking permission for a detachment 
of the Seventy-First Regiment, National (iuard of your Sute to pass 
through the State of West Virginia, I have to say that the same is granted. 

Very respectfully. 

Your Oi)edient Servant, 
[Signed] E. L. WOOD, 

AiijiUant General. 



General Headquarjfrc, State oI' Ohio, 
Adjutant General's Office, 

Columbus, Januiiry 3i.st, iSSl. 
Special Orders, > 
No. 7. ) 

Permission is hereby granted the Seventy-First Regiment, National 
Guard, State of New York, to pass through the State of Ohio, armed and 
equipped, en-route to and returning from New Orleans, La., between the 
2ist day of February and the 6th day of Mirch, A. D., i88i. 
By order of: he Governor. 

[Signed] W. H. GIBSON. 

Adjutant General. 



Office of Adjutant Genera.,, 
State of Tennessee, 
Nashville, February ist, iSSi. 
To the Adjutant Genera!,, 
State of New York, 
Albany, N. Y. 
Sir: 

By virtue of the authority vested in me as Adjutant General of the 
State of Tennessee, permission as per your request of the 27th ult., is 
hereby granted to a detachment of the Seventy-First Regiment, National 
Guard of the State of New York, to pass and repass, peaceably, through 
this State, armed and equipped as a military body. 
Very respectfully. 

Your ob'd't servant, 
[Signed] ERNEST HAWKINS, 

Adjutant General of Tennessee, 



State of Mississippi^ 
Executive Department, 
Jackson, February 3d. l88l^ 
Major Gen'l Fred'k TowiNsend, 
Adjutant Gen'l New York. 
Albany, N. Y. 
General: 

I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your communication of 
the 29th inst,, in which you ask permission for a detachment of Seventy- 
first Regiment, National Guard of New York, to pass through the State 
ot Mississippi, as an armed body, en-route to New Orleans, La., between 
21st February and 6th March, 1881, retm-ning again to New York, and 
to say in reply, and with the sanction of His Excellency, the Governor^ 
that the permission you ask is hereby accorded. 
Very respectfully, 

[Signed] A. M. NELSON, 

Brig. Geii'l and Adjt. GeiCl Mississippi, 



St*\te of Kentucky, 
Office of Adjutant General, 
Special Orders, > Frankfort, January 31st, 1881. 

No. 6. ) 

\ At the request of the Adjutant General of the State of New 
York, permission is granted the Seventy-first Regiment, National Guard, 
State of New York, or any company or detachment thereof, to enter and 
l^ass through the State of Kentucky, armed and equipped, as a military 
body, en-route to New Orleans, La,, and return during February and 
March proxims. All good citizens of this commonwealth are enjoined to 
treat them with marked courtesy during such transit. 

By command of Luke P. Blackh'trn, Governor. 
[Signed] J. P. NUCKALS, 

Adjutant General. 

State of Louisiana, 
Adjutant Generars Ofllce. 
New Orleans, February ^d, 1881. 
Major Gf,n'l F, Town-^end, 

Adjutant General, 
Albany, State of New York. 

[Extract.] 
General: 

The permission asked in your communication of 29th inst. is granted 
as requested, to the Detachment of Seventy-first Regiment Infantry * * 
of your State Militia, to cross and recross the State of Louisiana, armed 
and equipped as military bodies. 

\\\ order of Commanfler-in-Chief, 

Gov. G. T. BEAURECLARD, 

Adjutant General. 
[Signed] A. W. Tontant Beaukegakd, 

Jn charge. 



APPENDIX B. 



A ¥K\Y I N V I T A T JONS 



Thf. Battalion was the recipient of invitations of all kinds, from the 
moment of ileparture until the return. Many of these were sent by tele- 
graph and mail, and all of them were appreciated as the generous offerings 
of kindly regard. The following are only a few, arranged without regard 
to date: 

HEADQUARTERS FIRST DIVISION 
LOUISIANA STATE NATIONAL GUARD, 

New Orleans, 22d January, i8Si. 
Col. Richard Vo«=e, 

Commandmg Seventy- hrst Regiment, New York State National Guard, 
New York City. 
Colonel: 

I am directed by Major Gen'l W. J. Behan, commanding this Div- 
ision, in behalf of the officers and men of his command, to extend to your 
Regiment an invitation to visit our city and participate in the celebration 
of the approaching Twenty-second of February and Mardi Gras. 

General Behan desires to assure you that not only his command, but 
the citizens generally of New Orleans, will have sincere pleasure in welcom- 



ing you and in striving to render pleasant to you a visit which he feels 
will be national, and its significance as demonstrating tliat the day of sec- 
tionalism in our country is past, and that the extreme South can hospitably 
and cordially entertain the soldiers of the Empire State and the great 
metropolis. 

I have the honor to be, Colonel. 

Very respectfully your obedient servant, 
'G. a. WILLIAMS, 

CoL A. A, G. 



DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, 
City Hall. 

New Orleans, March 2d, 1881. 
Col. Richard Vose, 

Commanding Seventy-first Regiment, 

Now visiting New Orleans. 
Colonel: 

On behalf of the Committee of the City Government to afford our 
visiting Military guests and their accompanying friends, an opportunity to 
visit the "Jetties," I beg leave to herewith send you and your command, 
as souvenirs, invitations, &c., to said excursion. 

We much regretted your gallant command were not with us on the 
occasion. 

Should any of your Regiment, officers or men — or friends — be omitted 
among the invitations,. please notify me and I will at once send invita- 
tions, &c. 

Respectfully, 

THEO. SHUTE, 
Sec7-etary of Coui/iiithc and Colonel L. S. N. G. 



Office of NEW ORLEANS CITV R. R. CO., 
124 Canal Street, 

New Orleans, March 2d, 18S1. 
Col. Richard Vose, 

Col. Commanding Seventy-first. 
Dear Sir: 

We hereby tender yourself and command a Special Train for a com- 
plimentary trip to and from West End, at any hour, on any day you may 
be pleased to designate. Sincerely hoping you will accept this invitation, 
as we desire to render your stay in our Crescent city as pleasant as possi- 
ble, we have the honor to be. 

Very respectfully yours, 

FRED. WINTZ, President, 
C. R. EVANS, Superintendent. 



HEADQUARTERS COMPANY "A," CONTINENTAL GUARDS, 
Odd Fellow's Hall, 

New Orleans, February 27th, 188 1. 

To the Oflicers and Members of ^ [_ 
Seventy-first Regiment, N. Y. S. N. G. ) 

Geiitloneii: . , . . . 

You are most cordially invited to visit our Armory 

(luring vour slay in the city. 

Will be most pleased to meet you at any time. 
Respectfully yours, 

\VM. PIERCE, 

Captain. 



ROOMS OF THE I'HUNNY PHORTY PHELLOWS, 



Now Orleans, February 2Sth, iGSi. 

To the Officers and Members of \ 
Seventy-First Regiment, N. Y. S. N. G.) 

Gentleiiu'ii: ^ ^^ 

At a me-ang of the Association P. 40 P., you were 
elected honorary members of that Association, to be known as Mikados 
of Gotham. It was the intention of the Association, to make a tormal 
presentation, but lack of time rendered it impossible. 

The uniforms of your Company will afford access to the balL 
Hoping you will grace the ball with your presence, I remam, 
Yours, &c., 

KICK A POO, 

K. ofR. 



Grenada, Miss., February 2Sth, 18S1. 
Capt. Com'd'g Detachment Seventy-hrst Reg't, 
N. Y. National Guards, 
New Orleans. 

Our prominent citizens are desirous that your Com- 
mand stop at. our town, on vour return, two or three hours, if you can 
make your arrangements conveniently to do so, and partake of a cUnnei 
we purpose preparing for the occasion. 

I an deputed to extend the invitation to you and trust you can ac- 
cept. We wdl give you a real Southern welcome. 
Please wire your reply and oblige, 

Yours truly, &c., 

E. J. LOWENSTEIN. 



8 

THE IKI''FERSOXVrr,LE DEPOT OF THE QUARTERMAS- 
TER'S DEPARTMENT. 

Jeffersonville, Iiul., February 25th, iSSi. 

COI.ONEI, RiCHAKM) Vd'Jii-, 

Seventy-lirst Rc<;inieut, N. Y. N. G, 
Colonel: 

I have the honor to extend to you and yf)ur Coin- 
nianil an invitation to visit the Jeffersonville Depot of the Quartermaster's 
Department of the United Slates Army. 

If, upon your return from New Orleans, you can make it convenient 
to accept this invitation, your train can be placed upon a side track at 
this depot. 

A cordial welcome will be extended to you and I am convinced that you 
will be gratified with a visit to this immense Government establishment. 
With sentiments of the higest regard, 

I am. Colonel, very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 
JAMES A. EKIN, 
Deputy Quartermaster General, U. S. Army, 
in charge of Depot. 



HEADQUARTERS FIFTH REGIMENT INFANTRY, 

N. G., S. N. Y., 

No. 8 Beacw SrK'KET, 

New York, February 241)1, 1 88 1. 
Coi.oNEi, Richard Vose, 

Commanding Detachment Seventy-first Infantry, 
New Orleans, La. 
Colonel: 

I have the honor herewith to tender you an escort to 
the Detacliment of your Command, now on a visit to New Orleans, upon 
their return home. 

If accepted, will you kindly communicate with me the day and hour 
you expect to arrive in New York City, in time Tn- me to issue the neces- 
sary orders. 

I have the iionor to be, Colonel, 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

CHARLES S. SPENCER, 
Colonel Coimnajiding Fifth Regiment^ 



[Telegram,] 

New York, March 2d, iSSi. 
C. r. Craig, 

St. Charles Hotel: 

Mr, Garrett and myself extend our hearty congratula- 
tions to the officers of the Seventy-first Regiment upon the most gratify- 
ing reception they have met witli and exten 1 to them an invitation to 
accept of our hospitality at the Queen City Hotel, Cumberland. Every 
effort will be made to make their return trip over our line both agreeable 
and i)lcasant. C. K. LORD. 



APPENDIX C. 



THL TIME TABLE, 



The Battalion left New York at ii A. M. on Thmsday, February i^ih 
and arrived at New Orleans on Sunday Mornnig, February ayih. 1 he 
time schedule was as follows 



Leave New York 
Arrive Philadelphia, 
*' Baltimore, 
" Relay, 
♦* Washington, 
" ' Cuinl)erland, 
'* Giaflon, 
** Parkersburg, 
♦' Chillicothe 
" Cincinnati, 
I^eave Cincinnati 
Arrive Odin, 
*' Cairo, 
«' Milan, 
** Jackson, Tenn. 
** Grand Junction 
•« Holly Springs, 
** Water Valley 
*' Grenada 
•« Canton, 
«' Jackson, Miss. 
•* McComb City, 
<• Hammond, 
** New Orleans, 



Thursday, February 241I1, 

a it » ' 

<< «' " 

4 J < < ' ' 

Friday February 25th, 

<< «< " 

(( << " 

Saturday, February 26th, 

a i< »♦ 

<{ << " 

(< »' <' 

<( <« " 

Saturday, February 25th, 

Sunday, February 27th, 



1 1 00 a. m. 

2 00 1% m. 

4 3« " 

5 25 " 

6 10 *' 
10 50 " 

3 45 a. m. 

7 00 " 

9 3'' " 

1 00 p. m . 
5 00 " 

2 00 a. m. 
615 " 

1 30 p. m. 

2 30 " 
430 " 
5 40 " 

7 45 
925 

1 05 

2 05 

5 40 

8 00 

10 45 



, m. 



lO 

OFFICERS OF NEW ORLEANS BATTALION. 

RICHARD VOSE, Colonel. EDWIN A. McALPIN, Major. 

JOSEPH D. BRYANT, M. D., Major and Surgeon. 

CARLOS MARTVN, I). D., Captain and Chaplain. 

F. H. JORDAN, 1st Lieutenant and Acting Adjutant. 

ORRIN C. HOFFMAN, 

Captain, Inspector of Rifle Practice and Acting Quartermaster. 

JACOB HESS, 

1st Lieutenant and Commissary of Subsistence. 

First Company. 

A. W. B»<'I.KNAP, Captain Commanding, 

George W. Mii,l«, Lieutenant, 

F. J. xMcDoNALi), First Sergeant. 
Second Company. 
S. G. Bt.AKEr.KY, Captain Commanding, 
T. Pi Pares,* Lieutenant, 

M. B. l->Gi.E, First Sergeant, 
7'hird Company, 
John F. Cowan, Captain Commanding. 

Frank T. L. Ge^jet, Lieutenant, 

G. B. Hkbaki), First Sergeant. 
F'ourth Company. 
o. A. Taylor, Captain Commanding, 

George G. Milne, Lieutenant, 

WiLLL\M Hamilton, First Sergeant. 
Sergeant Major, Frederick Kohnen; Quartermaster's Sergeants, 
Ge'^RGE VanNess and Duncan B. Harrison; Commissary Sergeants, 
JohnHagad^vrn, Fred. May and Jame^^ Kennedy; Ordnance Sergeant, 
George Reinhardt; Hospital Steward, Ji'lius Imgard; Colonel's Or- 
derly, Edmund Albert; Drum Major, Nat. T. Jenks; Band Master, 
Morris J. Joyce. Sergeant Standard Bearers, J. B. Scorrand Milton 
V<^sburgh; Right General Guide, E. B. St. John Henkiques; Left 
General Guide, Frederick May. 

THE KING'S BANNER. 
The Banner truly deserves minute description when one takes notice of 
the great amount of time and labor expended upon it. 

It is forty-three (43) inches wide and thirty-three (33) inches deep. 
The front of it is made of three different colors. The upper right hand 
corner being of heavy green satin, and the lower left hand corner of royal 
purple Satin de Leon. Running diagonally across is a stripe of cloth of 
gold, 13^ inches wide, which is very beautifully embroidered. Jn tiie 
direct centre of the band is a crown composed of gold embroided cardinal, 
gold velvet and jewels. Exactly in the top centre of the crown is a small 
cross, with a large diamond in the middle. The cross rests upon a gold 
ball, from under which come five (5) bands of gold embroidery which are 
fastened on to the head band by five (5) large rubies. Between each of 
the bands are three (3) pearls, set upon cardinal velvet to form a triangle. 
The head band of the crown is of gold embroidery, having in the centre 

♦Deceased. 



a large garnet cut in diamond shape and surrounded by four (4) small 
rubies. On either side of the centre is a diamond presumably about the 
size of a pigeon's egg. And again upon the left and right of each dia- 
mond is an emerald, corresponding in size and shape with the centre 
garnet and also surronnded by four (4) rubies. The crown is lined with 
blue velvet. It is from the top of the cross to the crown edge of the head 
band yi inches and is at the widest part 8| inches. The cross is sur- 
rounded by a wreath of laurals, myrtle and acorns, interspersed here and 
there with berries made of small rubies. The sprays are confined to- 
gether with a silver ribbon, (embroidered) the ends each having two (2) 
emeralds set in, and the centre knots have a large ruby. The embroidery 
is very handsome. 

The reverse side of the banner is of blue silk in the centre of which is a 
handsomely pamted copy of the regimental badge, which is a gold belt 
and buckle, upon which in letters of black is the Seventy-first's motto, 
"Pro Aris et Pro Focis." The other space in the middle of the belt is 
a monogram of 71 and A. G. (American Guard), and an extra addition of 
Kex 1 881 is directly under the monogram. The edge of the entire banner 
is finished with a heavy gold bullion fringe 2h inches deep and headed 
with gold lace an inch deep. The banner is hung by gold loops upon a 
gold cross bar forty-five (45) inches long, each end of which has upon it 
a gold filagree crown, the band of which has in it four (4) medium sized 
diamonds between each of which is a large stone, each different. One (i) 
ruby, (l) saphire, (l) emerald and (i) amethyst. There are four (4) ivy 
leaves standing erect from these bands and in the centre of each is an odd 
stone corresponding with those in the band. Between each ivy leaf is a 
large pearl. The crowns are 12^ inches broad and 3;|- inches high. 

The standard upon which the bar hangs is surmounted by a very large 
silver ball upon which is perched a spread eagle. Upon this eagle's head 
rests a very diminutive crown. Around the centre of the silver ball is a 
gold filagree band, from the top of which rise four other filagree pieces 
which meet under the eagle's feet. In the band running around the ball 
are set eight (8) large stones, alternating rubies and diamonds and in the 
four (4) other gold pieces are in each a large emerald. Directly below 
the ball and upon the standard is a heavy bow formed of the three (^3) 
colors of the front of the banner. It is made of heavy gros grain ribbon 
and is fastened with a large gold star. Underneath this again is secured 
a heavy gold cord which is draped to the crowns of the cross-bar and 
from that depend almost to the ground. The ends of this cord are finished 
with gold bullion balls and tassels. 

The stones or jewels in the banner are very numerous, there being: 

15 Diamonds, 

39 l\u!)ies, 

14 Emeralds, 
4 Garnets, 
4 AmylliistS, 
4 Sapphires, 

21 Pearls, 

Making in all, III stones. 

The standard upon which the banner is hung is 9 feet 3 inches high, 
from the crown on the eagle-head to the grouml. 



12 



APPENDIX a I 



ODDS 7\ND ENDS. 



It would be impossible to print the thousand and one notices of the 
Battalion's trip or the peculiar communications received by the officers on 
all conceivable subjects. The limited collection of odds and ends subjoined 
will no doubt prove interesting. 



A RELIC OF THE WAR. 
On card bearing clasped hands at the top are two buttons. One is the 
Louisiana State button with the Pelican in relief. The other is a New 
Vork State button dimmed and moulded by time. On the card is inscribed : 
Colonel Richard Vose, 
Please accept these buttons as a souvenir of your welcome visit — one is 
from my Confederate uniform, the other was taken from that of a New 
York soldier in Virginia. They are now the symbol of the mutual love of 
fair Louisiana and generous New York. 

•*Once foes in war, now in peace true friends again." 
Fraternally yours, 

CHARLES E. CAYLAT, 

Veteran Washington Artillery . 

Mr. Caylat also sends a number of verses entitled "The Lone Star 
Flag," and dedicated to "General J. Bankhead Magruder; C. S. A," to 
be sung to the air of the "IJonnie Blue Flag." At the top of the sheet 
on which they are printed is the red while and red flag crossed with one 



13 

of h\\xc bearing the " lone star." The verses were printed in New Orleans 

January, 1863. but bear the imprint of Richmond, Virginia, in order that 

Mr. Caylat the author, might "avert" himself "from the tender mercies 

of Ben Butler." It is the last copy of (he edition. The verses are firey 

enough if not of the highest poetical order. The first runs like this: 

"Mount, mount and speed away to Louisiana's prairies wide. 

Th' avenging sword is our sceptre, the fleet steed our pride; 

Raise up! 'our lone star flag,' let its single star gleam out. 

Mount! mount! and speed away, put the Yan-kees to rout." 

KINDLY WARNING. 

The following despatch received en route was no doubt kindly meant 
but as the route advised had already been determined on it was of little 
value: 

[Telegram. ] 

Dated, Evergreen, Ala., Feb. 20, 1881. 
Received at 666 Sixth Avenue, Feb. 21. 

To Col. Vose, 
Seventy-first Regiment, N. Y. 

After reaching Louisville take the Detachment via. Milan to New 
Orleans. Don't go via. Montgomery and Mobile, road in bad condition. 
20 paid ^ rate, ALEX. 

GENERAL BEAUREGARD'S SIGNATURE. 

New Orleans, March 5, 1881. 
My Dear Colonel, 

By to-day's mail I send for some of your officers and men the auto- 
graphs which they did me the honor of asking while I was on board of the 
R. F,. Lee on the 3d inst. Will you please do me the favor of distributing 
them. 

I trust that you all had a safe and pleasant journey back to New York. 
I am, with respect, 

Yours very truly, 

G. T. BEAUREGARD. 
Col. R. Vose. 



A POETIC VETERAN. 
A veteran of the Seventy-first in Washington when the Battalion 
passed through became so enthused that he broke out into rhyme and se/ii 
the following to New Orleans on two postal-cards: 

(1) Washington, D. C, Feb. 25, jSSi. 

1861-8L 
I would not if I could forget 

That twenty) ears ;igo, 
On old Virginia's soil I met 
And fought a gallant foe. 

Who wore the gray and who the blue, 

I care not now to say, 
For both to cause and flag were true 

On that eventful day. 



(2) Our valiant dead sleep where they felly 

Accursed be they, who 
Disturb a soldier's grave to tell 
If he wore gray or Hue. 

Now, brotheis gi-ay, give me your hand 

And swear that ever we 
In peace or war together stand, 
UnioJi and Liberty I 

R. H. CHITTENDEN, 

Private, Co. A.,. N, Y. 71st, 



A CONTRAST. 

(From Philadelphia Record. ) 

As your correspondent watched "the lx)ys" march down Broadway yes- 
terday, a whole battalion of the brave dead and of grizzled veterans seemed 
to accompany them. It will be remembered that the three months' term 
of the Seventy-first had expired before the first battle of Bull Run, yet 
they stayed and volunteered for the fight. At 4 o'clock on the morning of 
July 21, your correspondent sat on horseback on Centreville Heights, this 
side of Bull Run, waiting for Hunter's Division to pass through and go to 
the right, when I heard my name called out by one and another, and I 
turned and found myself surrounded by vSeventy-first boys who had halted 
for a moment. The youths who carried muskets in the command were 
nearly ail of gentle birth and accustomed to luxurious living at home, but 
they were in rough dress and embrowned with the sun, and seemed full of 
life and animation. They went into battle as into a holiday, and had no- 
doubt that they would return to Nevi' York in triumph by way of Rich- 
mond. 

A few hours later, as I stood on a caisson of Ayres' Battery, near Bull 
Run Bridge, at the centre of the line, I saw the Seventy-first emerge from 
the woods at Sudley Church on the extreme right, in company with the 
l''irst and Second Rhode Island regiments. They formed a line of battle 
in an open field, and the New York boys did it as handsomely as they had 
ever done it on Broadway, and quite as coolly. A few moments and there 
came a flash, smoke, the report of a volley, then continuous firing, and two 
horses with empty saddles dashed through the woods close by me, and I 
could see men carrying off the wounded from the field. I never see the 
Seventy-first but I think of its record on that day, when so many three 
months' regiments had gone home; and the battery attached to my own 
brigade (a New York battery) had left their guns in the morning and 
marched back to Washington to the nuisic of our guns. Only on such 
days as yesterday, when old historical associations come up again, does 
this famous command get something like the attention it deserves. Now, 
by a singular coincidence, they will be the guests at New Orleans of a com- 
mittee of eminent citizens headed by General Beauregard, the same soldier 
who was in command of ihe Confederate forces at the first Bull Run. He 
vk^ill find that the boys can still .stand fire. 



^5 

"'NEW YORK'S FAVORITES." 
(Xexo York Meratry Editorial.) 
The C\knivai. Season. — New York ends her carnival season to-mor- 
row night with a grand ball at the Academy of Music, but at New Orleans 
the festivities will continue until the bells usher in Ash Wednesday. The 
celebration of Mardi Gras in the latter city distances in splendor and en- 
thusiasm all similar festivities elsewhere, and even the famous carnival at 
Rome cannot come into comparison. This year the festival will be made 
■even more attractive and brilliant by the presence of the Boston Eancers 
and our own Seventy-first Regiment. To-day New Orleans welcomes 
New York's favorite miHtary organization with open arms and will greet 
them with genuine Southern hospitaHty. The occasion will" not only be 
one of unalloyed pleasure, Init the whole country will be made the happier 
by its exhibition of fraternal good v.'ill. Our city should see to it that the 
gallant Seventy-first is received on its return with the enthusiastic honor.-; 
It deserves. 



A SOUTHERN WELCOME. 

(New Orleans Democrat Editorial.) 

The arrival yesterday of the New York Seventy-first Regiment marked 
another delightful epoch in our season of carnival. The weather was 
simply perfect, and the spontaneous bursts of applause from the populance 
that greeted the visiting soldiery from the moment they left the cars until 
they finally retired from the streets must have told them better than words, 
however glowing or impassioned, how genuinely glad the people of New 
Orleans were to have them in their city. It was a pleasant and most inspir- 
ing sight to witness the enthusiastic manner in which the Northern soldiers 
were welcomed on all sides, and our military seemed especially delighted 
at the opportunity which was presented to testify their appreciation of the 
honor conferred upon our city by this visit of the soldiers from the Empire 
State. 

Our people are generous, appreciative and demonstrative, and are apt 
to give quick expressions to their feelings, marked emphasis to their likes 
and dislikes, and their unrestrained expressions of pleasure and of admira- 
tion yesterday must have been gratifying to those whose presence among 
us on this joyous occasion is the best evidence of their feeling and of their 
<lesire to cultivate sentiments of friendship and mutual regard. 

We are sure that our people, one and all, will meet them more than 
half-way, and that they will grasp the hands thus outstretched to them in 
no uncertain or faltering manner, but with an earnestness and cordiality 
which will eloquently convey their true sentiments. 

OUR BAND CONCERT. 

(A'eio Orleans Democrat. ) 

There were fully i,ooo people at the Washington Artillery arsenal 

last evening to listen to the music of the band of the Seventy-first New 

^ ork Regiment, now on a visit to our city. It is so seldom that such a 

band visits us that our guests' music was certainly delightful, and its ex- 



i6 

ecution accurate and expressive. Our own bands are no mean competitors 
in instrumentation, but lack, what is so evident in our visiting band, 
thorou'^hness of drill and perfection of time. 

The concert given last night was a musical treat to those who are 
connoisseurs in instrumental music, and the effect was peculiarly marked 
in the cornet pieces. The leader, Mr. M. J. Joyce, shows admirable skill 
in his control over the band, and his baton is almost as expressive as the 
instruments under him. Tlie selections were most judiciously made and 
the enchores were loud and long after each piece. The following was the 
programme: 

Priest's March, "Athalie" (Mendelssohn), overture, "Banditen- 
streiche" (Suppe); cornet duet, "Leviathan" (Levy), Messrs. Arthnr and 
Fred. W. Bent; sonate adante, "Religieuse" (Volkmar); euphonium solo, 
"Fantasie" (Krai), Mr. F. Krai; selections, "Ye Olden Times" (Beyer); 
Xylocaime selections, Mr. Charles Lowe, jr.; HalleKijah chorus, "Mes- 
siah" (Handel); cornet solo, "Young America" (IJartmann), Mr. Fred. 
W. Bent; romanza, "Palm Branches" (Faure); potpourri, "Pirates of 
Penzance" (Sullivan); march, "Orteting to Royal Host" (Joyce), dedi- 
cated to the members of the "Royal Host." 

"WELCOME HOME." 

(New York Mercury Editorial.) 
Welcome Homk. — To-morrow the boys of the gallant Seventy-first 
will come marching home, fresh from the scenes of their jxxtriotic triumphs 
in the South, and they will receive no doubt a most enthusiastic welcome. 
Their journey to Louisiana has been one continued ovation, and in the 
Crescent City they were the recipients ot almost regal attention. The 
re<Timent that stood up so bravely for the flag that marshaled them to bat- 
tle^ never appeared in a nobler light than on the day last week when they 
fired a volley over the graves of the confederate dead, in New Orleans' 
Greenwood Cemetry. It was a touching tribute to foemen worthy of their 
steel and the highest possible prf)of of their wish to cement anew the 
friendly ties that now link the North and South together. One such 
occasion as this does more to unite all the sections of our common country 
than all the speeches that could be made on the rostrum. The Seventy- 
first has made every citizen of New York its debtor. 

"WELCOMF GUESTS" 
(New Orleans Picatine Editorial.) 
The expected detachment of the Seventy- First Regiment of New 
York arrived yesterday to remain until after Mardi Gras. As they marched 
through some of the principal streets they presented a fine appearance, 
and were warmly applauded by thousands of people who had gathered to 
see them. They are most welcome guests, and we have no doubt will be 
made to feel so notwithstanding the packing together of the immense host 
of visitors now here: The very jam will force many who were strangers 
to touch elbows and part friends. Let none lose their good nature be- 
cause of the jam, let the hive buzz with a cordial welcome, so that all our 



17 

visitors may return to their hoines more than ever heretofore convinced 
that this, maybe, is a common country after all and that all tlie people of 
all the sections, may mingle without animosity and live in tlie suiceie 
friendship becoming and necessary to every harmonious and really united 
people. 

t WHAT CINCINNATI TIIOUCIHT OF THE MARCIIIN'Ci. 
{From Ciiui/mati Cofnr/wrciii. ) 
No time was lost in falling into line in the Plum vStreet Djpot, and 
as they emerged from it into the open square fronting on the vlep)t, thev 
found the First Regiment, Ohio Na'ional Guards, 150 strong, drawn up 
in single file with presented arms. Either the legs of the visitors weie 
stiffened from long riding, or else the positions were new to many of them, 
but whatsoever may have been the cause, their distances were badly kept 
•as they marched down the front, nor did matters improve when bv com- 
panies, they wheeled into Elm street, every platoon doing it with more or 
less of a curve. The band alone made the turn like the spokes of a w heel. 
On Elm street the visitors came to a halt and present, while the home 
regiment, in their clean but time-worn and shabby fatigue uniforms, 
marche 1 by in perfect alignment, heads up, shoulder to shoulder, with the 
regularity and precision of veterans. A course was taken east on Fourth 
street, and then it was that under the inspiriijng strains of the magnificent 
band and the glances of hundretis of Ohio ladies that lined the sidewalks, 
the Seventy-first improved and was at its best, their attractions i)eing en- 
hanced by the dark blue uniform, with light blue and gold facings, white 
t:ross and waist belts, with polishetl plates, the dark blue being again re- 
lieved by white pompons and the red blanket which each man had strapped 
upon the top of his knapsack. For arms they carried Remington breech- 
loaders, each piece shining like new silver, and the brilliant appearance of 
the entire command, as it went by way of Fourth and Vine streets to the 
Es]>lanade, where their guns were stacked, will long be remembered. 

EAR! A' HISTORY. 

(From Cindnnati Commercial. ) 
The Seventy-first was originally organized nearly fifty years ago, but 
under another name. In 1861 Colonel Abraham Vosburg made of it an 
exclusively American Guard, and for the first time the New York Seventh 
had all it could do to retain its laurels, and since that year keeping its 
position with difficulty. Colonel Vosburg's command went among the 
■earliest to the seat of war and his regiment was the one that stood the 
brunt of Bull Run and left the field" as if on dress ])arade. Ihey lost 
heavily. " On returning from thirty days' service they furnished to other 
regiments a larger proportion of officers in proportion to their numerical 
strength than any other organization in New York. lirave Cieneral \Vin- 
throp was a graduate of the Seventy-first. The present Colonel, Riciiard 
Vose, has held his present position for nine years, and been in active ser- 
vice in the rebellion and at home for twenty-six years. Ife is an iron dis- 
ciplinarian, and loves his command as if they were his own children. 



i8 

THE PROMENADE CONCERT ON BOARD THE K. E. LEE. 
(From Ne%o Orleans Picayune.) 

Yesterday afternoon, from two to half-past four o*clock, a receptiom 
was held by the Seventy-first Regiment on board the steamer, R. E. Lee, 
The splendid cabin was thronged with ladies and gentlemen during the 
whole of this period, and they were elegantly entertained by the New 
York l)oys in blue. 

The regimental band under the direction of the youthful, but talented 
leader, M. J. Joyce, delighted the auditors with a concert. Deserving of 
special mention, was the Euphoniu u solo, by F. Krai, and the cornet 
solos, by Arthur and Fred Bent, particularly the duet from the Donjon 
scene from Trovatore. 

During the afternoon. Gen. G. T. Beauregard paid a visit to the boat 
and was received with military honors at the landing, and with cheers 
from the members of the Seventy-first upon his entering the cabin. 

The reception was of an informal character and was hearty, not to- 
say enthusiastic. 

The Seventy-fiist leaves this morning for New York. The members 
have made many friends here, both among the fair sex and the masculine 
portion of the community, and have much enjoyed their visit to the 
Crescent City. 

A DINNER WE DID'NT GET. 

While the train was en route to Cincinnati, a card was shown bearing 
a very elegant 7He}iu and verv elegant printed covers. It was regarded 
with more m- less curiosity and no one i)retended to know what it meant. 
The following extract from the Cincinnati Conitnercial explains the whole 
matter satisfactorily to all except those who are credited with eating the 
(Hnner. The 6>////;/t-r««/ says after quoting the wtvzw : "The lx>ys filled 
iheir blue uniforms until they threatened to part." Had any such dinners 
been served that would have been true no doubt, but alas, all that was 
seen of the repast was the following bill of fare. The Commercial says : 

"Before reaching Philadelphia, and when the majority of the command 
were wishing they had brought a snack along, the following menu on hand- 
somely tinted folio cards with silhouette embellishments, were handed • 
around." 

Oysters on half shell. [Chablis.] 

Potage. 
Green Turtle. [Amontillado.] 

Poisson. 
Savannah Shad. [Kudelsheimer.] 

rlntrees 
Ris de Veau Financiere, 

Poitrine de Dindonneau. 

Farcie a Pimpertrat, 

[Champagne. 3 
Froid. 
Pate de Strasbourg, 



19 

Voliere de Cailles a la Forestierre. 
Gibier. 
Perdreau Baide, 

Coeur de Laitue, 

» Salade de Celeri, 

EntrejHoiis. £Chaiabertin] 

Petites pois a la Francaise, 

Asperges en branches, 

Haricots Vert, 

£Sautes au Beurre] 

Charlotte Russe, 

Gelee au Champagne, 
Fruits et DesscrL 
Froniage, Cafe Cigars. 

ACCEPTING THE OLIVE BRANCH. 

From the ISfexv Orleans DeinocraL 
The visit of the troops from Boston, and New York city to New Or- 
leans, their participation in our carnival festivities, and the cordial and 
heartfelt greeting that has been extended to them on the part of our mili- 
tary and people at large is, in our opinion, one of the most auspicious cir- 
cumstances that has occurred since the standard of the opposing armies 
were furled in 1865. and the throbbings of the war drums were hushed 
forever, These gentlemen soldiers who come from the far North, bear- 
ing in their hands the olive branch, and in their hearts sentiments of 
friendship and esteem have, naturally, been received by the citizens of 
New Orleans with open arms, and it must be a predudiced mind and cold 
heart indeed that cannot understand the noble spirit that actuates those 
on both sides who, now that the war is a faded memory, desire to clasp 
hands hke brothers and citizens as they are of a common country, and who, 
recognizing the manhood and patriotism that inspired the soldiers who 
wore the blue and the gray, would obliterate all unkind thoughts and em- 
bittered memories by mingling with each other on terms of mutual respect 
and admiration. Our honored guests from the North will be able to re- 
turn home and say to their people that the soldiers of Louisiana are as 
true to the Union and as patriotic as those in any part of the entire coun- 
try ; that the wild stories of sectional animosity and social ostracism which 
they are continually hearing of as existing at the South are the emanations 
of folly or malice, and that, look as closely as they might, they could dis- 
cover nothing but sentiments of sincerest friendship, an earnest desire to 
have Northern and Western men come here and live among our people, 
and assist them in developing the resources of a soil which is rich beyond 
the dreams of those who live in less favored portions of the United States. 
They will, we feel assured, bear testimony that the people of this city 
and State are not the semi-barbarian and inhuman people they are always 
described as being by demagogues and paid partisan writers about election 
times, and that they are as earnestly desirous of peace and good will as 



those i>f Massachusetts and New York. We have been led to these re- 
marks by the amunmcemeiit which is made in an)thei- part of the De.no- 
crat this morning, that the members of the Seventy-first New York regi- 
ment will lo-tlay deorate the Confeder ile monument in (Jreenwood ce n- 
ftery, and i)ay the ashes of our heri)ic .lead there the honors of war. The 
war is over, indeed, when reprcse itative soldiers of the North can find t 
in their hearts to treat the graves of their fiillen, one time adversaries as 
they would those of their own lost comrades, and when the soldiers of the 
Crescent City can stand side by si le with the soUliers of Massachusetts on 
the historic hill where our forefathers met the invading British. Wc be- 
lieve that this is the first time since the war that Nortliern soldiers have 
visited the South and decorated the graves of the Confederate dead, and 
we know that the act will be productive of great good — proving to the 
Southern people that the men of the North are as magnaninmus in peace 
as they found them brave in war. The ceremonies to-day over the con- 
federate monument at Greenwood will doubtless be most interesting and 
inipressive, and should be witnessed by as many of our people as possi- 
ble. The Seventy-first has won golden opinions from our citizens already, 
and tins graceful act will serve to draw us to them all the more. 

OUR DRESS PARADE. 

{^Froni a Xeiv Orleans Paper.^ 
Yesterday evening at 5 o'clock, the Seventy-first regiment held dress 
parade in front of their head-:iuarters, at the foot of Julia street, opposite 
the steamer R. E. Lee. The regiment presented a fine, soldierly appear- 
ance, in their blui regim.ntals trimmed with gold and snowy-white pants. 
'l"he movements of the various companies as they took position in the line 
showed them to be practiced soldiers, and their formation in double rank 
gave a solid appearance to the line which is lacking in the single rank for- 
mation. Col. Vose is, it seems, very particular about the drill of his reg- 
iment, for though (allowances being made for a few slips and some care- 
lessness quite excusable on the day after Mardi Gras) the battalion did 
well for the first time, he had the ceremony performed several times until 
perfection was attained l)y his command. There the admirable discipline 
of this "corps d'elite" was eminently displayed, and as the companies were 
dismissetl and called back into line, not a murmur was heard, and with 
steady steps the commands were obeyed. A noticable point in these sol- 
diers is their proudly unconscious bearing in the ranks and their steady 
look to the front, minding neither right nor left. This shows great dis- 
cipline and speaks highly in favor of the officers. The line officers deserve 
special praise for their |>erfect knowledge of their business and their fine 
handling of their weapons. The maiching in review in dtiuble ranks was 
beautifully done, and some of the wheelings remarkably neat. In fine, the 
Seventy-iirst I'egiment showetl last evening, sone splendid points, and it 
was an offilay at best for a serious exhibition of military skill. 

The .iews])apers were very kind to the Battalion, and lavished praise 
on every thing it did. There was only one instance of severe criticism, 
and that was in an obscure weekly, and seemeil suggestively spiteful, 
though perhaps it was not entirely undeserved. It was in reference to the 



(Ires', pa. n -le, Wednesday evening, on the Levee. The and lence was small, 
the men tiied after tlie pleasures of Tuesday night and there was, no doubt, 
a certain looseness in the manuel and marching. No one knew this better 
than the field and line officers, and in fact the men themselves. \ et, there 
was no reason for the l)iite n^ss of tlie attack and it seemed as though it 
was not the outcome of s )n e jriucal newspaper writer, but rather suggest- 
ed by petty jealousy on the part of some visitor. 

The morning after the Battalion's arrival, the several newspapers 
published a complete lits o[ those accompanying it, and recorded the 
doin.'s of the men daily. Besides this, there was published both m 
CmcTnnati and New Orlkns, a number of little squibs that were amusmg 
and interesting. For instance: 

"—The New Vork Tim-'s has an able and pleasant representative in the person of 
Mr Fie'd j/Hosmer. who is now with the Seventy-first regiment. N. Y.S. N. G., on 
the' steamer K . E. Lee. We hope he will be pleased with the Lrescenl City. 

It is safe to say the hope was realized for Mr. Hosmer -ufas pleased. 

"—One of the most sympathetic members of the Seventy-first regimtiit N. Y. S. 
N G is Mr Norval K. Ford, of the editorial staff of the lialtimore Sun. His paper is 
highly prized here, and we hope he will be pleased with his trip South. 

Mr Ford had reason to be "sympathetic" because during the ^ar he 
did .rallant service for the "lost cause." He was not a member oi the 
Seveiity-first either, but then that did not matter much as he was a welcome 

guest. 

"-Capt I^aac R. Denman. of Newark. New Jersey cam.- with the Seventy-hrsi 
regiment, N.' tl. S. N. Y., to New Orleans. He is with the regiment on the K. E. I.ee. 

Captain Denman was a talented representative of the little stale that 
is said to be sinking into the sea and the Battalion was ready at any tnne to 
wager a large amount that he could wear more medals and decorations on 
a given area of cloth than any man south of Mason and Dixon's line. 

" "-One of the veterans of the Seventy-first New York regiment is Mr. Eugene S- 
Conklin, of the firm of Mulford Gary & Conkhn No. 34 Spruce street. New \ ork. He 
resides temporarily on the steamer Robert E. Lee. 

That wou'd have cost Mr. Conklin about forty cents a line in New 
York, but then, after all, what is the use of being a veteran and all that 

sort of thing if one cannot but never mind. 

•'—Mr J H Fleming, the handsome correspondent of the New York Evening 
Mail and amembeV of the Seventy-first regiment. N. Y. S. N. G.. is quartered with his 
regiment on the Robert E. Lee, at the foot of Juha street. 

That paragraph made Mr. Fleming's fortune with the ladies, not that 
they could not see for themselves, of course, but because it was a great 
ihing to have an official backing of that sort. 

■■—Jacob H.^ss Ksq . Ch.iirnvui of the Commissioners of Charities for the City of 
New York, arrived here yesterday with the Seventy-first New York, of vv_hich regiment 
he rs the Commissary. Mr. Hess was here last .Mardi Gras, also, when he made many 
friends who will be glad to renew their acquaintance with him now. 

There is not much to be said about that note. Everybody that meets 
genial "Jake" once, always wants to meet him again. 

..—Somebody sent to General Hickenlooper to request him to make a speech to the 
vis.lm-regimentat th > Gibson House dinner. Great Kdison! shouted the Lieutenant 
(love,. or. can't a body of men come to this town and get something to eat without being 
talk'ed to death?" 



22 

Govenor Hickenlooper is a wise man in his generation and sliould be 
re-elected. 

— "I'lial drum major was 'a dandy.' He smiled when the home individuals 
walked by." 

Jenks says that must be a mistake, because he never smiles when on 
parade. 



UNIFORMED VETERANS. 



The following gentlemen, members of the Uniformed Veteran Corps, 
accompanied the Battalion to the South. They attracted much attention 
and were the recipients of much hospitality. 

JOSEPH J. LITTLE, 
Enlisted in old 37th, September, 1861. Served until 1869. First Ser- 
geant and mustered out United States service as First Lieutenant. 



GEORGE B. RAYNOR. 
Enlisted December 12th, i860. Mustered out, 1869. 



EUGENE H. CONKLIN, 

Enlisted October 4th, 1861. Mustered out. 1868, as First Sergeant. 

CHARLES E. BROWN, 

Enlisted October 2d, 1862, Corporal, 1866; Sergeant, 1867; Second 
Lieutenant, 1869. Mustered out, December 20lh, 1875. 



. \ 



23 



APPENDIX E. 



RESOLUTIONS. 



When the Battalion reached Hammond, Louisiana, a stoppino- place 
about fifty miles from New Orleans, it was met by a detachment of the 
Washington Artillery, and a representation of the Army of the Tennessee, 
Tiie latter presented the following resolutions elegMitly printed on white 
satin : 

Headquarters Association of the Army of) 
Tennessee, Louisiana Division, 
New Orleans, La,, February, i88i.) 
With cordial Welcome and Greeting : 

Considering the auspicious circumstances under which such a numer- 
ous and prominent portion of our military brethren of a Northern State 
of the Union have favored New Orleans with their presence, and with the 
view of givin<^ formal expression of our appreciation of the wisdom and 
patriotism of such fraternization between the citizens of this great republic: 

Resolved, That the veterans of the army of Tennessee of the late Con- 
federate States, do extend to you the hand of fellowship. Individually as 
fellow citizens, and collectively as soldiers, pledged to honor and defend 
the flag of our country. 

Resolved, That this association, entertaining neither bitterness for the 
past, nor animosity for the future, cherish only recollections of the prow- 



7'\ 

ess, devotion and valor of tlie American soldier wheiever exliihited, and 
liold it in high esteem the glorious rejord won by your command. 

Resolved, That this testimonial is intentled that you may bear it with 
you to your homes as a memento of tiie high regard and good fellowsiii]) 
in which you are held by the veterans of the Confederacy. 

J. A. CnAi,M<{)N, President. 

John AdUSTiN, First Vice-President. 

H. N. Jknkins, Second Vice-President. 

A. J. Lewis, Tiiird Vice- President. 

Jos. D. Tayi.ok, Recording Secretary. 

EUG''NK May, Correspondmg Secretary. 

Alcidk B'->isbi.anc. Financial Secretary. 

S. D. Si'^CKMAN, Treasurer. 



HEADQUARTERS BATTALION WASHINCiTON ARTILLERY, 

New Orleans, March 2gtii, i88l. 
Colonel: 

I have tlie pleasure to advise you, that, by direction of the Battal- 
ion Washington Artillery, I shall se id to your address by express to-mor- 
row, a copy of the preamble and resolutions unanimously adopted l)y the 
Battalion, giving expression of their gratification and satisfaction, result- 
ing from the visit of the representatives of your regiment to this city du- 
ring the festival season, just passed. The distinct expression of the sent'- 
ments of the Battalion, as conveyed in the resolutions, I beg to assure you 
are sincere as they are pronounced. 

I have the honor to l)e 

Most Respectfully. 

J. B. WALTON, 
Col. Ricii'd Vo«je, Honorary Colonel B IV. A. Chairman. 

Seventy -first N. V. S. N. G. 
New York. N. Y. 



The resolutions referred to in the above letter close as follows : 
'• We cannot omit to give expression to the admiration of ourselves 
and tnu- fellow citizens upon the courteous bearing of our honored guests 
during their short stay with us. They were found as genial and submis- 
sive to all demands in peace as they have been found to be valiant, jiatri- 
otic and devoted in war ; they have endeared themselves now in peace as 
companions and friends. Their stay with our peo])le has affonled abun- 
dant satisfaction, and we have the hope that on their return to their dis- 
tant homes they will carry with them only pleasant memories. The past 
is no more ! We invoke for the bright and promising future, peace and 
kind good will." 



APPENDIX F. 



HlSrORY OF THE CARNIVAL IN NEW ORLEANS. 



The celebration of " Mardi Gras " was no doubt uitroduced into New 
Orleans by Bienville and his followers, at all events the memory of the 
oldest inhabitant does not extend back to a time when the day was not 
one of frolic and fun in the Crescent City. It has always been marked by 
processions of more or less magnitude, and the night by parties and balls 
and other gay assemblages. The first regularly organized " mystic" soci- 
ety, the now famous "Mystick Krewe of Comus," made their first appear- 
ance, Mardi Ciras night, February 24th, 1857, illustrating by their gor- 
geous pageants " Milton's Paradise Lost." It was not until 1872 that His 
Majesty, the King of the Carnival, the merriest monarch of all the world, 
assumed sway in New Orleans- About two months before Mardi Gras 
his first proclamation was issued, and this was followed by numerous orders, 
which were obeyed with alacrity. The courts were closed, legislature ad- 
journed, the public schools were given a holiday, the Mayor surrendered 
the city and all public business was suspended in obedience to orders from 
this august monarch. Strolling bands of maskers had always paraded the 
streets on Mardi Gras and the first object of His Majesty was to gather 
these into one grand body and thus make a spectacle worthy of the day. 
The success of the first year led to greater efforts for the next, and in 1873 
the Rex procession was the wonder and admiration of thousands of spec- 
tators. 

In 1874 His Majesty announced that he would arrive in his chosen 
Capital on Monday, the day previous to Mardi Gras, and a grand recep- 
tion worthy of his exalted rank was arranged. Thus, an additional day 
was added to the season of fun and proved such a thorough success that 
every year since the King has arrived on Monday, and his reception and 



escort have become, in pomp and glory, second only to his grand day pa- 
geant on the following day — Mardi Gras. On that day, in 1874, His 
Majesty was accompanied by the Shah of Persia and King Boabdill, the 
last of the Moorish Kings, with magnificent retinues. 

The year 1875 is a blank in carnival history, all celebrations having 
been postponed on account of the lively bubbling of the political cauldron. 

In 1876 His Majesty presented his fourth grand day pageant, represent- 
ing brilliant scenes from Egyptian history, in which Anthony and Cleopa- 
tra were shining and leading iigui-es. 

In 1877 His Majesty's followers gave their first turn-out on floats in 
magnificently arranged tableaus, taking for their subject the ' ' history of 
the military progress of the world." 

In 1878 they presented a caricature on Roman and Grecian Mythology, 
which was a grand success. 

In 1879 the subject of the day pageant, in honor of His Majesty, was a 
comic history of the nations of the world, His Majesty appearing as 
Kichard Coeur de Leon, with a most brilHant suite. 

In 1880 His Majesty's procession represented the four elements, earth, 
air, fire and water, and those who saw it thought it would never be 
excelled, if ever equalled. 

His Majesty proved equal to the popular demands, however, and in 
1881, with -'Scenes from the Arabian Nights' Tales," quite eclipsed all of 
his former efforts. Having witnessed this goj-geous moving panorama, it 
is safe to say that, in extent, in magnificence of costumes and in attcniion 
to every detail, the pageant could not have been surpassed in any city of 
the world, yet we understand that His Majesty's followers are prcpnring a 
pageant for 1882 which they are determined shall rank ahead of all former 
efforts. With them, to resolve is to accomplish, and therefore, a rare treat 
is in store for those who visit the Crescent City during the Carnival of 1882. 
His Majesty rules through a reguhirly organized government, which con- 
sists of two houses of parliament, the Royal Host andCarnival Court, and 
an executive council, the School of Design, composed of members elected 
by the Royal Host and Carnival Court. 

The School of Design, as its name implies, furnishes subjects fi)r the 
annual pageants, makes all contracts necessary for their organi/ntion and 
annually elects the King, who is taken from one of the two organ izniions, 
for extraordinary services rendered to the royal house. The compliment 
thus conferred is bestowed gratuitously, as a mark of recognition. The 
School of Design is an incorporated body under the laws of Louisiana. 

The Royal Host is composed of the Peers of the Realm Dukes — creited 
by His Majesty — whose titles are conferred as a reward for active and finan- 
cial services rendered to the royal government. Carni\al Court is gen- 
erally composed of younger men, law\ers, doctors, clerks and students — the 
embryo "mashers" of the future Crescent City. One can scarcely realize 
the amount of work devolving upon the chief officials of his Majesty's gov- 
ernment, all of which is done "pro bono publico," without money and 
without price.O That enterprising merchant and able financeer Albert 
Baldwin, Esq., President of the New Orleans National l^ank and hea 1 of 
the great hardware firm of A. IJaldwin & Co., as the Duke of Massasoii is 



President of the Rcyal Host and presiding officer of the School of Design. 
James I. Day, Esq., President of the Sun Mutual Insurance Company, of 
New Orleans, and an old and highly respected resident, as the Duke of 
Wamphossock is the Custodian of the Royal Purse. The Hon. George 
H. Braughn, a prominent member of the 1-ouisiana bar and of the legal 
firm of Braughn, Buck & Dinkelspiel, with great ability and admirable 
courtesy fills the high and arduous offices Bathurst, Lord High Chamber- 
lain, Earl Marshal of the Empire, and Manager of the School of Design. 
In the two positions just named he acts as the executive officer of His 
Majesty, and, as Earl Marshal, he is ipse fado the President of Carnival 
Court. As Manager of the School of Design he designs the pageants, 
and, with the aid of committees selected by him, makes all necessary ar- 
rangements for the production of the same. This gentleman, with singular 
taste and ability, has planned and supervised all the Rex processions that 
have adorned the city since 1875. He, together with Messrs Edward C. 
Hancock and Louis J. Solomon, organized the Rex organization in 1872, 
and he has since that time devoted much time and labor to bring it to its 
present state of perfection. Louis J. Solomon has the honor of having 
been the first King of the Carnival. Edward C. Hancock took a very 
prominent part in the forming of the Rex organizations and to him New 
Orleans is indebted for the beautiful displays of 1873 and 1874. Both he 
and Mr. Solomon are now residents of New York City. «« INIaior Eugene 
May, Captain H. M. Isaacson, Captain William H. Braughn, Captain 
William Pierce, Captain Charles M. Whitney and Messrs. Frank W. 
Baker. T. Geuerelly, D. M. Kilpatrick, W. I. Hodson, A. A. Maginnis, 
J. Bercegeay, Victor Tanner and a host of other prominent young citizens 
are hard working members of Carnival Court and efficient officers in His 
Majesty's service. They give their time and talents with as much devotion 
as if they were serving a real monarch or getting a salary equal to that of 
the President o{ the United States. Among the prominent members of the 
Royal Host of national reputation are U. S. (irant, (Teneral W. T. Sherma ■, 
Schuyler Colfax, Chief Justice M. R. Waite, Admiral Robert H. Wyman 
and Captain James B. Eads, who, under their respective ducal titles of 
America, Tecumseh, Indiana, Justice, Admirality and Engineers, show as 
much devotion and enthusiasm for the house of Rex as any of its more 
humble members. The costumes, including jewels, jewelry, arms, papier- 
mache, animals, etc., are made in the World's Emporium, Paris, and the 
decoration of floats and other details are attended to in New Orleans. 
The average cost of one of these pageants reach.es the sum of thirty thous- 
and dollars, all of which is paid voluntarily by the members of the two 
organizations. Another mystic society has been organized in New Orleans 
for the purpose of parading on the Tuesday preceding Mardi Gras. Tlie 
society is called the " Krewe of Proteus" and composed of men of taste 
and unlimited means. From this it will be seen that the future visitor to 
New Orleans will be entertained for one entire week preceding Mardi Gras 
by the most beautiful pageants that money, talent and energy can ])roduce. 
The parades of Proteus, Momus, Rex and the Mystic Krewe in one week 
urcsent an attraction that no city in the world can equal. 



